Strengthening Migrant Participation in the Provincial Labor Protection System on the USAID Thailand CTIP Project

While significant progress was made in countering trafficking in persons (CTIP) in Thailand over the past two decades, including standardizing victim identification processes, streamlining the prosecution of trafficking cases, strengthening victim-centered assistance programs, and increasing translation services and outreach into vulnerable communities, Thailand still experiences significant patterns of human trafficking and forced labor. Migrant workers are among the most vulnerable to human trafficking and despite widespread reports among civil society organizations and other groups that forced labor is prevalent in many industries in Thailand, very few victims of forced labor have been identified and referred to support services since the 2019 forced labor amendment to Thailand’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) statute. It is well documented that many barriers remain to migrant workers accessing up-todate information on immigration laws and accessing grievance mechanisms, including language barriers; a lack of incentives due to inadequate remedies; migrant workers’ distrust towards government agencies; inaccessibility of grievance mechanisms; and limited engagement of civil society and private sector for outreach and (re)integration services. Discriminatory attitudes towards migrants and lack of information and services make migrants vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking. The RTG, private sector, and civil society all play major roles in curtailing TIP in Thailand, and better protocols, incentives, and collaboration are needed to achieve collective impact.