Human trafficking in the context of labour migration in Southeast Asia

Abstract

Human trafficking constitutes one of the gravest forms of human rights abuses, whereby people are exposed to, and maintained in, conditions of severe exploitation, by means of deception, coercion, or force. It is indicative that three of the most advanced economies in Southeast Asia, namely Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, host more than 90 of the 6.8 million registered intra-regional migrants. In all three countries, migrants primarily work in similar, low-skill sector jobs, including in agriculture, construction, manufacturing, domestic work, maritime industries, or commercial sex. This chapter discusses these factors with respect to human trafficking in the Thai fishing industry. The 1990s saw Thailand emerge from a net-sending to a net-receiving country for labour migration. Frequent reports on both government and industry failures to address human trafficking in the Thai fishing sector, and the shocking human tragedies that have come to light as a result, have begun to jeopardise trade relations with important export markets.