A MODERN FORM OF SLAVERY Trafficking of Burmese Women and Girls into Brothels in Thailand Asia Watch and the Women's Rights Project Human Rights Watch New York!!!Washington!!!Los Angeles!!!London Copyright 8 December 1993 by Human Rights Watch All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 93-81036 ISBN 1-56432-107-X Cover illustration by Pamela Blotner for Human Rights Watch. Drawing based on a photograph of Burmese women awaiting clients in a Thai brothel. Asia Watch Asia Watch, a division of Human Rights Watch, is an independent organization created in 1985 to monitor and promote internationally recognized human rights in Asia. The Chair is Jack Greenberg, the Vice Chair is Orville Schell, the Washington Representative is Mike Jendrzejczyk and the Executive Director is Sidney Jones. Women's Rights Project The Women's Rights Project was established in 1990 to monitor, in conjunction with Human Rights Watch's five regional divisions, violence against women and gender discrimination throughout the world. The Chair is Kathleen Peratis, the director is Dorothy Q. Thomas; Regan Ralph, Staff Attorney; Sarah Lai, Research Associate; Evelyn Miah, Associate. HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Human Rights Watch conducts regular, systematic investigations of human rights abuses in some seventy countries around the world. It addresses the human rights practices of governments of all political stripes, of all geopolitical alignments, and of all ethnic and religious persuasions. In internal wars it documents violations by both governments and rebel groups. Human Rights Watch defends freedom of thought and expression, due process and equal protection of the law; it documents and denounces murders, disappearances, torture, arbitrary imprisonment, exile, censorship and other abuses of internationally recognized human rights. Human Rights Watch began in 1978 with the founding of its Helsinki division. Today, it includes five divisions covering Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, as well as the signatories of the Helsinki accords. It also includes four collaborative projects on Arms, Free Expression, Prisoners' Rights, and Womens Rights. It now maintains offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles, London, Moscow, Belgrade, Zagreb and Hong Kong. Human Rights Watch is an independent, nongovernmental organization, supported by contributions from private individuals and foundations. It accepts no government funds, directly or indirectly. The board includes Robert L. Bernstein, chair; Adrian W. DeWind, vice chair; Roland Algrant, Lisa Anderson, Peter D. Bell, Alice L. Brown, William Carmichael, Dorothy Cullman, Irene Diamond, Jonathan Fanton, Alan Finberg, Jack Greenberg, Alice H. Henkin, Stephen L. Kass, Marina Pinto Kaufman, Alexander MacGregor, Peter Osnos, Kathleen Peratis, Bruce Rabb, Orville Schell, Gary G. Sick, and Malcolm Smith. The staff includes Kenneth Roth, executive director; Holly J. Burkhalter, Washington director; Gara LaMarche, associate director; Susan Osnos, press director; Ellen Lutz, California director; Jemera Rone, counsel; Richard Dicker, associate counsel; Stephanie Steele, operations director; Michal Longfelder, development director; Rachel Weintraub, special events director; Allyson Collins, research associate; and Ham Fish, senior advisor. The regional directors of Human Rights Watch are Abdullahi An-Na'im, Africa; Juan E. Méndez, Americas; Sidney Jones, Asia; Jeri Laber, Helsinki; and Andrew Whitley, Middle East. The project directors are Kenneth Anderson, Arms; Gara LaMarche, Free Expression; Joanna Weschler, Prisoners' Rights; and Dorothy Q. Thomas, Women's Rights. Addresses for Human Rights Watch 485 Fifth Avenue 1522 K Street, N.W., #910 New York, NY 10017-6104 Washington, DC 20005 Tel: (212) 972-8400 Tel: (202) 371-6592 Fax: (212) 972-0905 Fax: (202) 371-0124 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] 10951 West Pico Blvd., #203 90 Borough High Street Los Angeles, CA 90064 London, UK SE1 1LL Tel: (310) 475-3070 Tel: (071) 378-8008 Fax: (310) 475-5613 Fax: (071) 378-8029 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...............................................................................................................................vii I. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................... 1 II. BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................................................... 10 A. POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS........................................................................ 10 International Response and Thai-Burmese Relations (12); Economic Factors (15); Immigration (17) B. RELEVANT NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LAW.................................................. 20 The 1928 Anti-Trafficking Act (21); 1960 Criminalization of Prostitution (22); The Entertainment Places Act and the Penal Code (24) III. THREE PORTRAITS ............................................................................................................................... 38 "LIN LIN"...................................................................................................................................... 38 "NYI NYI"...................................................................................................................................... 41 "SWE SWE"................................................................................................................................ 43 IV. TRAFFICKING IN WOMEN AND GIRLS ........................................................................................... 45 A. RECRUITMENT...................................................................................................................... 45 The Promises (46); The Money (48); Sexual Abuse in the Course of Recruitment (49); Moving From Brothel to Brothel (51); Ranong (52) B. THE BROTHEL........................................................................................................................ 53 Debt Bondage (53); Illegal Confinement (59); Rape and Other Forms of Sexual and Physical Abuse (62); Working Conditions (67); Health Care, Birth Control and AIDS (68) V. THE THAI GOVERNMENT'S ROLE........................................................................................................ 75 A. OFFICIAL INVOLVEMENT IN TRAFFICKING: A PATTERN OF IMPUNITY ............................................................................................................... 75 The Songkhla Murder (80) B. NON-ARREST OF TRAFFICKERS, PIMPS, PROCURERS, BROTHEL OWNERS AND CLIENTS...................................................................................... 82 C. DISCRIMINATORY AND ARBITRARY ARREST OF TRAFFICKING VICTIMS.................................................................................................................. 84 D. VIOLATIONS OF DUE PROCESS...................................................................................... 86 E. PROLONGED DETENTION, SUMMARY TRIALS AND CUSTODIAL ABUSE....................................................................................................................... 89 Local Jails (91); Immigration Detention Center (IDC) (91); Emergency Shelters (100) F. DEPORTATION...................................................................................................................... 101 Summary Deportation: The Thai Side (101); Deportation from Ranong (102); Deportation From Kanchanaburi (104); Discreet Returns over the Border (110); Summary Deportation: The Burmese Side (111) G. THE NON-PENAL ALTERNATIVE: OFFICIAL REPATRIATION..................................114 VI. NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS (NGOs).....................................................................120 NGOS IN THAILAND................................................................................................................120 NGOS IN BURMA.....................................................................................................................124 VII. CAPTIVE PARTNERS: FORCED PROSTITUTION AND HIV/AIDS ........................................125 A. ABUSES THAT LEAD TO HIV INFECTION ....................................................................126 B. THAI GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY.....................................................................128 C. ABUSES ARISING FROM PERCEIVED OR ACTUAL HIV STATUS.......................132 Mandatory HIV testing (132); Testing in the brothels (135); Testing in official custody (137); Testing at the Temporary Shelters (138); Breach of Medical Confidentiality (139); Discrimination (142) D. WITHHOLDING INFORMATION ABOUT HIV/AIDS.................................................144 E. TREATMENT ON RETURN TO BURMA ..........................................................................146 VIII. INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE..........................................................................................................148 U.S. POLICY AND TRAFFICKING.........................................................................................148 OTHER COUNTRIES ................................................................................................................149 HIV AND AIDS...........................................................................................................................149 UNITED NATIONS AGENCIES ..............................................................................................151