Every night holds unknown dangers for children being sexually exploited in Thailand’s tourism hubs.
“They never know what they may encounter behind the next door, or who they will be forced to deal with,” said Greg Bradley, chief executive of non-government organisation Destiny Rescue Australia.
It is a crime unfolding at hotels, short-term rentals, private residences and entertainment venues across the country, according to NGOs.
“Children do not choose exploitation; they are targeted and because they are vulnerable, they are more easily manipulated, coerced and exploited,”
Mr Bradley said.
Foreigners were involved in some, but not the majority of cases, he said.
Thailand’s child sexual exploitation scourge was thrown into the global spotlight this month after the alleged murder of Tunchanok Donhomla, 17, by Australian man Simon Peter Carman, 45, in Pattaya.
Tunchanok Donhomla was found dead in a suitcase in the city of Pattaya. (Supplied: Pattaya Police)
Mr Carman has been charged with four offences: murder, concealment of a body, moving or destroying a body and taking a minor aged between 15 and 18 for sexual purposes.
He has denied the charges and many details about the case are yet to emerge.
The ABC asked NGOs about Thailand’s broader ongoing struggle with child sexual exploitation.
They described a “hidden” world of crimes against children that required action from both the tourism industry and law enforcement agencies.
How big is the problem?
Young people come to Thailand’s major tourist destinations such as Pattaya or Bangkok believing they can earn good money, NGOs say.
In many cases, children found themselves trafficked for sex after accepting a promising but false job offer, said Laura Parker, chief executive of anti-trafficking organisation The Exodus Road.
“These children often come from rural areas, and the allure of stable employment, which can be a significant support to their family, is a vulnerability that perpetrators prey on,” she said.
Many young Thai people come to cities such as Bangkok looking for an income. (AFP: Lillian Suwanrumpha)
“Many victims of sex trafficking hail from impoverished or otherwise challenged family systems where they are expected to help carry some of the financial burden.”
The Exodus Road has worked on cases involving children being trafficked within restaurants, bars, cafes, clubs and through individual brokers.
Pattaya was one of many places in Thailand where child sexual exploitation happened, said Gabriela Kühn, head of ECPAT International’s program preventing the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism.
Pattaya is a tourism hub known for its commercial sex industry. (AFP: Mladen Antonov)
“Many cases never receive media attention because of how hidden and heavily under-reported this crime is,” she said.
Research by ECPAT, INTERPOL and UNICEF found only 1–3 per cent of child victims in Thailand disclosed their experience to police, a pattern also documented in other countries.
“This is driven by mistrust, social stigma and a lack of child-sensitive justice processes,” Ms Kühn said.
Destiny Rescue says it has rescued and supported more than 1,300 children in Thailand who were victims of sex trafficking.
“It includes domestic demand, regional trafficking, organised criminal networks and, increasingly, online exploitation that can facilitate abuse both online and in person,” Mr Bradley said.
Children experiencing sexual exploitation could face rape, torture, physical abuse, and exposure to drugs and alcohol, Mr Bradley said.
“The physical and psychological impacts can be long-lasting,”
he said.
Thailand criminalises luring, procuring or taking away people for the purpose of sexual gratification and has larger penalties in cases involving people under 18 years old.
Thai authorities work with NGOs and overseas law enforcement agencies such as the AFP to crack down on exploitation.
NGOs and law enforcement agencies are trying to curb child sexual exploitation in Thailand. (ABC News: Kylie Silvester)
Thailand had made significant progress in strengthening anti-trafficking laws and law enforcement capabilities over the past decade, Mr Bradley said.
“We need stronger international cooperation, continued investment in prevention and specialist law enforcement, tougher action against offenders, and greater support for organisations protecting vulnerable children.”
‘Hiding in plain sight’
Thailand’s sex industry complicates its efforts to crack down on child sexual exploitation, as child traffickers hide the sale of underage victims in Thailand’s adult commercial sex market, according to Ms Parker, from The Exodus Road.
Sex work is illegal in Thailand although operates openly as a “grey market” only intermittently targeted by authorities.
“Sex trafficking often hides in plain sight within the sex tourism industry, and accountability must extend to everyone who exploits or harms a woman or child: buyers as well as traffickers,” Ms Parker said.
Commercial sex work is illegal in Thailand but operates openly in red light districts of cities such as Bangkok and Pattaya. (Reuters: Jorge Silva)
Ms Kühn said the tourism industry could also facilitate child sexual exploitation through “the misuse of infrastructure and services” such as hotels, private accommodation platforms, bars, taxis and other forms of accommodation.
She wants regulation of the tourism industry and mandatory child safety training across the tourism supply chain.
ECPAT has created an online learning course to help accommodation providers who use online booking platforms to recognise and prevent situations that may involve child sexual exploitation.
“Getting more booking platforms and short-term rentals engaged with tools like this is essential to prevent and address the sexual exploitation of children in this part of the travel and tourism industry, beyond traditional hotels,” Ms Kühn said.
Thailand also needed to pass its pending draft laws on grooming, giving law enforcement the legal tools to intervene before physical abuse occured, she said.
The ABC approached the Royal Thai Police, Thailand’s Department of Children and Youth and the Tourism Authority of Thailand for comment.
How Australia is responding
Thailand and other South-East Asian nations have been known destinations for Australian offenders for decades.
While some perpetrators are “preferential” offenders with a predisposition to seek out children, others are “situational’ offenders who victimise children without having a fixed sexual preference for them, according to NGOs and experts.
Australia has tried to curb the number of paedophiles travelling overseas to commit crimes, introducing laws making it illegal for convicted child sex offenders to travel overseas without permission, and allowing Australian authorities to revoke their passports.
The Australian Federal Police also has extraterritorial jurisdiction for child sex offences, with power to prosecute those who commit offences overseas.
Last financial year, it issued 300 “Green Notice” alerts to warn overseas law enforcement agencies about serious offenders who were likely to travel.
Australia has more than 1,400 active Green Notices listed with INTERPOL, the third-highest amount of any country.
Melissa Curley, associate professor in international relations at the University of Queensland, said Australia had been proactive in law enforcement efforts against child sexual exploitation in South-East Asia, dating back at least 15 years.
“Australia has over time demonstrated an interest and willingness to be a regional advocate, to adopt prevention strategies and assist in seeking justice for victims,”
she said.
A spokesperson for Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said Australia’s criminal code “comprehensively” criminalised child sexual exploitation committed by Australians while overseas.
“The government continually monitors the operation of its laws to ensure they keep pace with technological developments, offending trends, operational needs and societal expectations,” they said.
Meanwhile, NGOs are undertaking covert operations and raids alongside Thai police to remove children from harm, before giving them long-term care.
Mr Bradley, from Destiny Rescue, said there was a need for greater public awareness in Australia, stronger efforts to detect and prevent online child exploitation, and continued commitment to prosecuting Australians who abused children overseas.
“Child sexual exploitation and human trafficking are complex and evolving crimes, which means the response must continually evolve as well.”
