ECPAT Leads the Front for Change

ECPAT argues that the United States should take a leading role in the fight against child prostitution. While the program has made the most significant impact on the child trafficking industry of any effort with only moderate US assistance, it recognizes that the fight is just beginning. ECPAT was created in 1991 as a campaign to end child trafficking in Thailand within three years, but it soon became apparent that the problem was more deeply rooted. EPCAT has now ballooned from its Thailand headquarters to an organization working in more than 60 countries worldwide.

ECPAT’s present status as a non-governmental organization instead of a campaign speaks to a newfound understanding of child prostitution in the international community. When asked about quantitative improvements, McCoy explained that decade statistics might even show an increase in child trafficking simply because the problem appeared concentrated in Thailand and Southeast Asia in the early 1990s. It quickly became apparent that child trafficking was a worldwide epidemic infecting Western and Eastern territories alike, from developing countries to states such as Japan, Canada, Italy, and the United States.

Consequently, ECPAT’s main success is in helping the world recognize that a problem actually exists. In 1996, 122 countries attended the First World Congress against Commercial Exploitation of Children, committing to the Agenda for Action, and 37 more signed on at later dates. The statement was divided into five areas targeting the elimination of child trafficking: Coordination and Cooperation, Prevention, Protection, Recovery, and Reintegration. McCoy frequently references these focus areas, stating that “if you don’t deal with all sides, you will never effectively combat the problem.” She continues that the only way to eliminate the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is to follow a “holistic approach,” simultaneously and tenaciously attacking each of these areas.

Only in 1994 did the Leekpai administration admit that Thailand had a problem. Despite the comparatively late response, however, simple government recognition of the problem took broad strides towards resolution. Policies were overhauled, including the promulgation of a new Prostitution Act in 1996, in which prostitution was declared illegal for the first time and all penal codes were reviewed. Vansaponge recognizes, however, that despite the extensive laws that were passed in Thailand and the surrounding countries, “the enforcement of laws is still very poor… the officials either don’t know the laws, don’t have awareness of them, or are corrupt.” Therein lies a major problem.

Haugen believes the problem is not as much negligence as corruption. In his experience, “many police agencies do raids, but only to keep up the threat so that they can receive bribes.” He emphasizes that “you don’t have problems with sex trafficking without police complicity.” The IJM therefore looks strictly at two indicators when evaluating a country’s progress: the number of convictions a government makes against perpetrators and the number of police disciplinary actions. ECPAT believes, however, that while the IJM is an effective recovery organization, efforts must be mounted in each of the five areas with standards of accountability.

In addition to the Agenda for Action, countries have been encouraged to develop national plans of action, and while 50 percent of the countries in Asia have developed them, the problem again lies in the execution. McCoy references Cambodia as a prime example of this. In fact, McCoy claims that much of the lack of progress can be traced back to a lack of funds: “Sometimes they can come up with a wish list, but whether they have the capacity to carry it out is another issue.”

Thai Children Replaced with Foreigners

One quantifiable success that has risen after a decade of worrying statistics is a decrease in the number of Thai children and women trafficked into the sex industry, especially those originating from Northern Thailand. However, the total number of trafficking victims has not decreased, indicating that more women and children are being trafficked in from external sources.

One of the greatest external sources for the Thai industry is Myanmar, where weak border controls have led to more than one million migrant citizens working in Thailand, many of whom are involved in the sex industry. That is why Vansaponge says that “the big challenge for the Thai government is to realize that children from other countries must be protected as well.” In Thailand, most migrant children who are rescued from brothels are currently treated as illegal aliens and deported. It typically does not take long for them to return to the industry, willingly or unwillingly.

McCoy identifies this shift in demographics as a result of the strengthened legislation and heightened media awareness in some countries and ignorance towards the industry in others. Such countries as Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, China, and India are already experiencing relative increases in their trafficking industries. McCoy is of the opinion that this pattern of transience will not end until all countries cooperate fully to end the sexual exploitation of children.

ECPAT emphasizes that many of the children and women in this industry continue to return to it because they do not have other options. According to McCoy, “prevention programs are most effective, because you deal with the children who are not yet in child prostitution through education, scholarships, et cetera.” Unfortunately, she points out that “prevention programs are hard to fundraise for because the results are not as tangible despite being more effective. People want numbers of women saved but it’s much more effective to engage in prevention activities.” ECPAT envisions extradition agreements between countries to ensure the safety of migrant workers and has already piloted worker programs in hotels for girls and vocation education programs.

Strategy for Success

According to Phongpaichit, “the fact that the massage business has become an integral part of the Thai economy undermines any realistic possibility of short-term cures. Thailand already has a number of organizations dedicated to refurbishing the moral character of the massage girls… but no amount of agitation is likely to change things while the cost incentives remain the same, and the opportunities for alternative employment are so limited. ...The only solution is a long-term one, and it lies in a massive change in the distribution of income between city and country, and in a fundamental shift in Thailand’s orientation to the international economy.”