World Of Difference

 

 

 

 

 

 

COUNTRY STOP

Thailand

Where your monthly gift brings freedom and hope to survivors of human trafficking.

Sawadee khrup/ka
(Thai)

Hello and welcome to Thailand – your first stop on your journey with World of Difference! From rural beach towns to bustling Bangkok, Thailand is a country brimming with possibilities. It’s also a nation struggling to contain human traffickers from preying on vulnerable women and children desperate for a way out of poverty.

Join us to see the world of difference your monthly gift is making right now in Thailand to stop this horrific abuse and set women and children on a path to freedom.

WORLD OF DIFFERENCE

Where is Thailand?

Thailand is in the heart of Southeast Asia, with Cambodia and Laos to the east and Myanmar to the west. The country has a population of more than 70 million people. The vast majority (90%) of people are Buddhists and agriculture and tourism make up the bulk of the economy.

Thailand in numbers

4.7 Million

People live below the poverty line

600,000+

Women and children are trapped in slavery*

20 years

How long Tearfund has been working in Thailand

*Global slavery index

Restoring lives in Thailand 

Since 2013, Tearfund and its partners have been working tirelessly to stop human trafficking through our proven “5Ps Approach” – prevention, prosecution, protection, policy and partnership.  

The support of people like you has helped to rescue hundreds of women and children, lock up 200 human traffickers – protecting thousands of women and children from being trafficked – and provide life-restoring aftercare and US $1 million in compensation to survivors. 

Sitting in a karaoke bar...

Three girls longed for the day they would be free.

Miu knew no other life than the one she lived day after day in nightclubs and bars—her mother, a prostitute, exploited and alone. Her father, a person she’d never met. “What options do I have?” she would think to herself. Hopelessness was a close companion.  

Miu and two other girls were rescued by Tearfund’s partner, who brought the girls to safety. Her offenders were found guilty of prostitution and child sex trafficking offences and sentenced to 35 years in prison.  

Since her rescue, a social worker with Tearfund’s partner, Chu, has been looking after Miu, counselling and encouraging her every step of the way. It’s one day at a time, but Miu has found a hope she didn’t know existed and keeps busy making plans for her future: 

“I want to be an electrician because I loved seeing the light shine through the darkness. If a light bulb breaks, I want to be the person who fixes it and makes the lamp shine again.” 

Shining a light into the darkness

Survivors Jan, Nice and Miu share their stories and what they hope for the future. 

 

 

 

What would you choose?

 

Nice, the youngest of the survivors, was persuaded by “friends” to work in the karaoke bar. She didn’t know the risks or that the work would involve having sex for money against her will. Could she have known better or chosen differently?

With her family struggling to get by and mouths to feed, Nice had to make a decision no child should have to make—stay in school and have nothing to eat or drop out and find work to help her struggling family. It seemed like the best decision in a series of bad options.

Eventually, Nice was rescued with the other girls, moved to a safe shelter, and into a foster home where she daily receives love and support from foster parents who love her like their own child. Her words to all of us:

“When you look at us, please don’t see us as bad children. We need the same things as other children in this world. We are children who would like the chance to start again.”

Meet the people on the front lines

FOSTER PARENT

Sopea

"I love these girls like my own daughters."

Social Worker

Chu

"My heart is happy when it's beating for others."

INVESTIGATOR

Ton

"I find the darkness and try and bring light in."

INTELLIGENCE OFFICER

Local

LAWYERS

High and Pik

We hope you enjoyed your time in Thailand. Which place will you see your donations at work next? Well, you’ll just have to wait and see...