Thailand has made enough progress to avoid being downgraded on the US State Department’s 2014 Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Report, said the Thai embassy in Washington DC, the US capital.
The country’s progress in combating human trafficking is “not only meaningfully greater than in previous years, but also greater than progress made by other countries previously upgraded in the US TIP report”, said the embassy.
With release of the US State Department’s 2014 Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Report expected next week, Thailand has worked closely with the State Department to satisfy all TIP office queries about on-going law enforcement action and statistics related to investigations, inspections, prosecutions and convictions in 2013, it was announced.
“Thailand has made significant advances in combating human trafficking, working with our partners at home and abroad including neighboring nations, the US, the EU, international organizations and NGOs to implement preventive measures, to protect and assist victims and, importantly, to bring human traffickers to justice,” said Vijavat Isarabhakdi, ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the US.
“Human trafficking is one of the worst forms of human indignity and Thailand is committed to eliminating this inhumane exploitation,” he said.
Progress is shown by concrete results, the embassy insisted.
Thai law enforcement statistics show significant progress in investigations, prosecutions and convictions of perpetrators, including 674 trafficking investigations by Thai officials in 2013 – more than double from 306 similar investigations in 2012.
There were 483 trafficking defendants prosecuted in the Thai judicial system in 2013 – five times more than 93 similar prosecutions in 2012, and 225 trafficking defendants convicted and punished for their crimes in 2013 – a more than fourfold increase from 49 similar convictions in 2012.
Investigation of Thai officials alleged to be complicit in cases related to human trafficking noticeably increased in 2013. At least 33 police and 5 high-ranking police officials were either punished or are now under civil and/or criminal processes, it was said.
The significant rise in 2013 human trafficking law enforcement numbers is directly attributable to elevated inter-agency collaboration within the Thai government, Thai law enforcement, intensified actions and a standardized methodology for tracking and reporting data, the embassy said.
“Thailand’s demonstrated awareness, cooperation and progress in combating human trafficking in 2013 clearly exceeds the US State Department’s criteria for an upgrade on the 2014 TIP Report,” added Isarabhakdi.
The embassy’s statement comes at the end of another bad week for Thailand’s image, with CP Foods accused of using fishmeal sourced from the country’s slave labor fishing crews.
Major international retailers, buying shrimp from CP Foods, condemned the findings from the Guardian newspaper, and Carrefour has today announced it is suspending all purchases from the Thai firm as a precautionary measure.
By Undercurrent News
Published on 13 June 2014