Ms. Joy Ezeilo, the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, visited Thailand during 8-19 August 2011 at the invitation of the Royal Thai Government. Upon her arrival, Ms. Ezeilo paid a courtesy call on Mr. Theerakun Niyom, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, to outline the objectives of her mission. During her visit, Ms. Ezeilo held discussions with the key Thai agencies responsible for combating trafficking in persons, the private sector and civil society organizations. She also traveled to Mae Sot in Tak province, Chiang Mai, Samut Sakhon and Songkhla to discuss with the Provincial Governors, representatives of the respective Provincial Operation Centre for Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking and civil society organizations about the trafficking situation especially in the border areas, prevention and suppression measures, as well as measures to protect migrant workers. The Special Rapporteur also visited Kredtrakan Protection and Occupational Development Centre in Nonthaburi province, as well as the Protection and Occupational Development Centre for Males in Songkhla province. The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security acted as the focal agency for the visit, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assisting in the coordination of the visit.
On 19 August 2011, Ms. Ezeilo held a debriefing with various government agencies at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs upon the conclusion of her visit to Thailand. She also paid a courtesy call on Mr. Prawit Chaimongkol, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to thank the Thai Government for the cooperation extended to the visit. She later held a press conference which was attended by a large number of interested Thai and foreign media members.
Ms. Ezeilo presented an assessment of the current trafficking situation, the various forms and manifestations of trafficking in persons in Thailand, and the challenges faced by Thailand as a country of origin, transit and destination. The Special Rapporteur shared her preliminary recommendations on how to strengthen law enforcement mechanisms and measures to enhance the effectiveness of the fight against trafficking in persons. Ms. Ezeilo emphasized the importance of cooperation between government agencies, the private sector and civil society to suppress trafficking in persons. In this regard, she commended the robust partnership between the Government and civil society organizations, and the Thai side’s openness and willingness to improve existing mechanisms and measures in solving this complex issue. The Special Rapporteur also expressed her appreciation for the Thai Government’s invitation and underlined the importance to continue the constructive dialogue and cooperation between Thailand and the UN to address migration and trafficking challenges. This would contribute towards safe and secure migration, whereby migrants are entitled to protection according to human rights principles and relevant domestic laws.
Mr. Vijavat Isarabhakdi, Director-General of the Department of International Organizations, thanked Ms. Ezeilo and her team for their efforts. He assured that the Thai side would closely study the findings and recommendations, which will help the government and key stakeholders to better tackle the problem of trafficking in persons. In this regard, Thailand attached great importance to further cooperate with the UN on the promotion and protection of human rights. Thailand looks forward to the full report of the Special Rapporteur which will be submitted to the Human Rights Council in June 2012.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th