Bangkok, Thailand – Khun Wassana has a good reason for being late. She rushes in to our meeting breathlessly, sits down, lets out a long sigh, and then drops the news: a novice monk in Chonburi, just southeast of Bangkok, has been charged with sexually abusing a child. She had to convene her team to wrestle with the issues. Apart from investigating the facts and assessing the health and safety of the child and family, she expressed concern about how the media and the religious element might influence the case. In a country where more than 90 percent of the population is Buddhist, her concerns are valid. Khun Wassana is the director of the Child Protection Unit at the Center for the Protection of Children’s Rights (CPCR). She and Khun Arusa are meeting me for a GFC check-in at a restaurant near Lumpini Park.

I learn about Khun Wassana’s background. Growing up in Petchaburi, about 200 kilometers southwest of Bangkok, Khun Wassana was the fifth of six children and was raised in a fishing family. Her identification with her early days runs deep—she even uses the analogy to discuss her current work: “When I was a child, I would come out to the boats and separate the fish. Fish are easy to categorize. You can look at them and know right away what kind they are. But trafficking and child abuse cases are different—things on the surface are not what they seem, and how you respond can vary. You have to handle each situation appropriately.” Her eyes sparkle as she describes her life path from the fishing boats to being the first one in her family to complete university, to becoming the head of CPCR’s Child Protection Unit. At CPCR, Khun Wassana has accrued 20 years of experience sorting out these complicated trafficking cases and lobbying for Thailand and its people to undertake systemic legal and social change regarding the establishment and enforcement of child protection measures.

The situation of child trafficking and abuse in Thailand is complex. Surrounded by relatively economically depressed neighbors, Thailand has emerged as a source, destination, and transit country for human trafficking. Trafficking occurs within Thailand as well, exploiting the economically weak: refugees, ethnic minorities, the northern hill tribes, those living in southern Thailand’s areas of conflict, and residents of the poor Isaan area to the northeast. Thai and other Southeast Asian migrants are trafficked throughout Asia and to as far away as Europe, North America, and the Middle East. Women and girls surface as sex workers, sweatshop laborers, and domestic servants. Men have been trafficked for seasonal work such as farming and fishing or for other labor such as construction, and boys have been trafficked, to a lesser extent, for sex work. Domestically, trafficked children and adults are easily spotted in the nightlife and entertainment industries commonplace in Bangkok and Pattaya. Reports of abuse to CPCR have increased in the past two years, which could indicate more openness and willingness in society to discuss the issue.

Another complication is the changing nature of child abuse cases. In the early days, poverty was a unifying factor in cases of abuse reported to CPCR. Traffickers would use false work descriptions and promises of lucrative income to lure impoverished children and women into labor migration. The level of education in these poor communities was generally low. Today, a more common profile for traffickers and abusers is someone with higher education who openly maintains power and authority in society. Prosecution of traffickers therefore has become more of a political issue, complicating the response from NGOs like CPCR.

GFC supports CPCR’s provision of direct services to victims of child abuse, neglect, and exploitation in regard to both prevention and protection. Practically, this means that CPCR staff receive referrals, handle the rescue of children from abusive situations, make referrals for legal assistance, complete assessments, and use experienced psychologists and therapists to aid in the recovery and rehabilitation of victims and their families. In terms of prevention, CPCR works with communities, parents, families, and children to implement child safeguarding measures. CPCR is also working at the national level to integrate existing laws (namely the Child Protection Act of 2003, the Domestic Violence Act of 2007, and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2008), regulations, and memoranda of understanding (many of which CPCR helped draft) into child protection services at all levels.

The three of us talk at length, sharing information from both of our organizations. As it gets later in the evening, it comes time to bid our farewells. I know Khun Wassana and Khun Arusa have a long night ahead of them. They will return to CPCR for several more hours to handle the financial paperwork for their team and further sort out the case of the Chonburi monk before beginning another day.