The government of Germany donated nearly $75,000 last week to a Thailand-based non-profit organization dedicated to fighting human trafficking, following a visit by members of the German parliament to observe anti-trafficking efforts in the Kingdom.
Members of the German parliament presented a check for the funds to executives of TrafCord, the Anti-Trafficking Coordination Unit of Northern Thailand, in Chiang Mai on April 13. TrafCord is a multi-disciplinary nongovernmental organization (NGO) that works with various stakeholders, including government and law enforcement, along with community groups to battle human trafficking.
Partnerships are one of the foundations of the Thai government’s broad-based campaign to end human trafficking, and the government is working closely with a range of civil society groups, both local and international. TrafCord is among the groups that the government is working with on a close and cooperative basis.
Thailand also partners with foreign governments to advance its capabilities. Earlier this month, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs joined with the Australian embassy to co-host a regional workshop on “Trafficking in Persons: Victims in the Criminal Justice System.” Organized by the Australia-Asia Program to Combat Trafficking in Persons (AAPTIP), participants included more than 30 experts from ASEAN member countries and distinguished speakers from Australia, Netherlands, the U.K. and the U.S.
The complex and wide-ranging nature of the problem of human trafficking means that no one entity or organization can solve it alone. Alliances are essential. The government also works with civil society groups such as the Mirror Foundation and international bodies such as the United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking, the International Organization for Migration and the International Labor Organization.
German Parliament and Human Rights Committee members Frank Heinrich and Jürgen Klimke praised the work of TrafCord while presenting the funds. TrafCord has also received funding and other forms of support from the United States government.
TrafCord works in nine provinces in Northern Thailand near the borders with Myanmar and Laos. The group assists with victims of human trafficking, in particular those who come from neighboring countries, by rescuing them and providing shelter and care through counseling, education and skills training.
Many of TrafCord’s members come from the area’s ethnic minorities, as minority groups are particularly vulnerable to falling into the hands of traffickers. Northern Thailand and adjacent areas in neighboring countries are ethnically diverse and home to many tribal people and communities.
“We provide legal assistance to victims and their families who have been violated and exploited for human trafficking. We work to ensure that victims’ legal rights are protected. Victims are provided with legal consultation and we also help to prepare and walk a victim who is also a key witness through the justice process,’’ a TrafCord representative said.
The organization has also done case studies exposing rings that traffic Malaysians to Thailand, as some trafficked Malaysians end up in brothels or other forced and abusive labor situations in Northern Thailand.
Northern Thailand is also a catchment area for people smuggled from southern China, which is just 250 miles away and linked to Thailand by the Mekong River.
For more information and updates about Thailand's policies and actions against trafficking in persons and related issues, visit www.thaianti-humantraffickingaction.org
