By Sze Mun

After a few minutes of walking plus two bus rides, we finally reached the office for The Foundation For Women which was situated at a place which reminded me of Penang. They served us water and cakes as snacks and soon the talk commenced.

They began by informing us about the various reasons behind why many women go abroad. Common reasons are work prospects (as domestic helpers) and promises of marriage. But time and again, they end up getting trafficked; which often leads into prostitution.

These people who end up getting trafficked are often lied to and lured by the promise of lucrative wages. They are usually from the countryside, recruited by agencies and then smuggled into other countries, eventually forced in prostitution, begging along the streets or working without wages.

These human trafficking syndicates are usually successful in recruiting people because the agents entice these poverty-stricken people with the promise of high incomes – which often turn out to be nothing more than a scam.

Quite simply, many of these women choose this way as a solution to their problems because of the lack of employment opportunities back home, responsibilities to their families, and the myth of other women’s success stories.

These women comprise a significant part of the sex industry in Bangkok: stripping, performing in exotic dance shows, giving sex services either mobile, in hotels and apartments or freelancing (for those who have paid up their debts). Drug trafficking is not uncommon, whereas some try to marry foreigners in hopes of getting a better life and status.

The Foundation for Women tries to empower those who are able to escape the grasps of the syndicate (but instead get arrested by law enforcers and detained in the Immigration Detention Centre). They educate them to be more confident in their negotiations, provide information on where to seek help and how to deal with lawyers.

These victims who are detained are also an important source of information for the authorities to track the routes of the trafficking syndicates and to finally put an end to their trafficking activities and to the miseries of other women.

Not only does the Foundation for Women provide immediate assistance to migrant women and children who are victims of trafficking, but they also coordinate with agencies concerned for the safe repatriation and reintegration of migrant women and children. They are active lobbyists for policies which ensures the basic rights of children and women; all in all they ensure the right to information, interpretation, access to justice, the right to be free from reprisals, rights to recovery and rights to legal redress and compensation.

The Foundation’s work is invaluable in a society such as ours. When it comes down to it, human trafficking is simply the modern term for slavery and needs to be put to a stop.

By Koo Yi Shu

The Foundation for Women (FFW) is a non-governmental organization providing services to women. Based in Bangkok, it was formed in 1984 with the establishment of a Women’s Information Centre, providing advice to Thai women who were to emigrate. In 1986, the Foundation expanded their project to include a women’s shelter for victims of domestic violence. According to Matthana Chetamee, the Coordinator of Direct Assistance Programme, this expansion caused much controversy.

“Like other countries in Asia, domestic violence is considered a private matter and the authorities will usually dismiss it as a couple’s dispute” she said. Victims voicing out their plight are deemed disgraceful and their actions dishonoured their family. Because of this, the shelter was discontinued after five years due to lack of support from the public and other organisations.

In 1988, FFW came back with a bang and expanded its activities with the launch of a community-based education project—Kamla (Kamla is a popular female name in north Thailand) and Kamkew (Kamkew is a popular female name in northeast Thailand) to increase awareness about the problems of child prostitution and to counter the propaganda spread by agents working for international and national trafficking systems. The Kamla and Kamkew project was illustrated in the UN Plan of Action Combating the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography in 1992 as a model to fighting child prostitution by introducing public education.

FFW also promotes the right to self determination of individual women and aim to assist women to achieve equality and justice by providing information and support to enable them to make informed decisions and take control of their lives. FFW produces educational material to publicise and promote the recognition of women’s human rights. FFW’s aim is to ensure that their services and aid are available to everyone and anyone who is in need, and gives special emphasis and focuses their work to help troubled women and children, particularly those who are vulnerable to forced prostitution and international trafficking as well as victims of domestic and sexual violence.

According to Chetamee, most cases that are handled by the FFW are victims of domestic violence, incest rape and forced prostitution. FFM has received 16 cases of women who killed their proprietors in retaliation to their abuse. In cases such as this, the organization provides pro bono legal aid and tries to educate these victims about the situation, complexity of their cases and the various options that they can take.

It is an arduous task, but FFW is trying their best to help these oppressed women. FFW might not be able to save every woman and child from being victimized and prosecuted unjustly, but they are striving to redeem every ounce of dignity and respect that has been robbed from these women and children.