Outline of the Project

Project Name

Project on Capacity Development on Assisting Victims of Trafficking in the Greater Mekong Sub-regional Countries

Country

Thailand

Project Type

Technical Cooperation Project

Term of Cooperation

April 2, 2015 to April 1, 2019

Implementing Organization

Department of Anti-Trafficking in Persons, Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security

Background

Trafficking in persons (TIP) is a severe form of violation against human rights and security. The Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), as found in many other parts of the world, contains diverse patterns of trafficking in persons, e.g. internal and cross-border; highly organized and fragmented small-scale; sexual and labor exploitation, through formal and informal recruitment mechanisms; and involving the victimization of women, men, girls, boys and families.

Thailand, which is a country of origin, transit and destination of TIP in the GMS, has been tackling this issue since the 1990s. The Government of Thailand declared its intention to fight against TIP as part of its National Policy since 2003. The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act B.E. 2551 (2008) came into force and established various high level committees in order to combat TIP. Thailand is also a member of the regional framework called Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative Against Trafficking (COMMIT), and has signed several bi-lateral Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) with the neighboring countries.

The Government of Thailand promotes, among others, Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) approach to tackle the TIP issues. MDT is a team consisted of government agencies and NGOs concerned and coordinated by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security. Accordingly, the Bureau of Anti-Trafficking in Women and Children (BATWC), DSDW, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, implemented a bi-lateral technical cooperation project on Strengthening of MDTs for Protection of Trafficked Persons in Thailand (hereinafter referred to as "Phase 1 project") with JICA, from March 2009 to March 2014. The Phase 1 project developed capacity of MDT members, especially social workers/case managers, both at the central and provincial levels, which enabled them to provide more effective victim-centered services.

The Project was further developed based on the major outcome of the Phase 1 project. The Project has widen its scope to include the neighboring countries in the GMS, concomitant with the upcoming commencement of ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, which implies the possibility of an increase of victims of trafficking (VOT) crossing borders. The Project aims to contribute to improve the social reintegration and repatriation processes of the cross-border TIP cases through capacity development and network building among social workers/case managers and MDT members concerned in the GMS countries.

Overall Goal

Support measures for Victims of Trafficking (VOT) are provided effectively in the Greater Mekong Sub-regional (GMS) Countries.

Project Purpose

Assistance for building new lives of VOT and trafficked persons (both Thai and foreign) rescued/protected in Thailand is improved.

Outputs

1. Capacity of MDT members especially social workers/case managers and VOT peer support groups in Thailand assisting social reintegration is enhanced.
2. Collaboration among Thai social workers/case managers and other related agencies working on VOT repatriation is improved.
3. Support mechanism/structure(s) for VOT social reintegration and repatriation in neighboring countries are enhanced.