Thai group extends efforts to protect Lao migrant workers
The Alliance Anti Traffic (ATT), Thailand, office has extended its cooperation with the Lao Federation of Trade Unions (LFTU) to protect Lao migrant workers from falling victim to human trafficking.
Representing the two organisations, LFTU Office Head Ms Aly Vongnorbountham and ATT International Project Director Mr Jurgen Thomas signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Friday for the new cooperation project which runs until March 2014.
T he project aims to conduct health checks and job training, educating Lao migrant workers on the dangers of illegal migration and highlighting the plight of human trafficking victims working under duress in Thailand.
Under sponsorship from Alliance Anti Trafficking, the Trade Union will cooperate with several units in Champassak province including the health department, anti-trafficking officials, Lao migration police, Women's Union, and the Labour and Social Welfare Department. The multiparty alliance has been working on the pilot phase of the project since June 2010, and so far it has proved a success.
According to the Champassak branch of the trade union, the project rescued 13 girls from an entertainment venue in Thailand's Ubon Ratchathani province last year. The girls were from Vientiane province, where the traffickers identified also came from.
“The pilot project has not only helped the victims of human trafficking, but also identified the people involved in the crime,” said Champassak province Federation of Trade Union's Vice President, Ms Malaythong Vorasith.
Poverty and poor education puts young people especially at risk, with girls easily tricked into becoming victims of human trafficking and labour exploitation with promises of legitimate paid work.
Ms Malaythong said even though the pilot programme successfully located the victims and gave them some job training it was helping victims after the fact, so in the next three years the project aims to stem the problem at its source by focusing on education.
She said the focus of the pr oject is to reach the target audience of teenage girls through many forms of media, educating them about the risks and dangers of illegal migration, and ways to avoid them.
LFTU Head of Office Ms Aly thanked AAT for their continued support.
“It is a good opportunity that Alliance Anti Trafficking sees the importance of the project and has provided financing and technical assistance to the Lao Federation of Trade Unions to help the Lao migrant workers, whose rights have been violated and their dignity robbed,” she said.
LFTU Vice President Mr Tongye Yangyongxeng, and representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, International Labour Organisation and the International Organisation for Migration witnessed the signing ceremony.
