Position Summary

Name of delegate: Warattaya Deesomlert

Issue: What is the current status of human trafficking in your
country?
Country Assigned: Myanmar
General information about human trafficking
Human trafficking is the trade of humans, most commonly
for the purpose of sexual slavery, forced labor or commercial sexual
exploitation for the trafficker or others, This may encompass
providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the
extraction of organs or tissues, including for surrogacy and ova
removal. Human trafficking can occur within a country or transnationally. Human trafficking is a crime against the person because
of the violation of the victim's rights of movement through coercion
and because of their commercial exploitation. Human trafficking is
the trade in people, and does not necessarily involve the movement
of the person from one place to another.
Country specific information regarding human trafficking
Human trafficking in regions such as Southeast Asia have
long been a problem for the area and still is prevalent today. It has
been observed that as economies continue to grow, the demand for
labor is at an all time high in the industrial sector and the sex
tourism sector. A mix of impoverished individuals and the desire for
more wealth creates an environment for human traffickers to benefit
in the Southeast Asia region. Many nations within the region have
taken preventative measures to end human trafficking within their
borders and punish traffickers operating there.
Examples of human trafficking or involving your country
Myanmar is a source country for men, women, and children
who are subjected to human trafficking, specifically forced labor and
for women and children, forced prostitution in other countries.
Children of Myanmar are subjected to forced labor as sellers and
beggars in Thailand. Many men, women, and children from Thailand,
Malaysia, China, Bangladesh, India, and South Korea who migrate
abroad for work are trafficked into conditions of forced or bonded
labor or commercial sexual exploitation.
Economic conditions within Myanmar have led to the
increased legal and illegal migration of citizens regionally and
internationally, often to destinations as far from Myanmar as the
Middle East. Men are subjected to forced labor in the fishing and
construction industries abroad. Women of Myanmar who migrate to
Thailand, China, and Malaysia for economic opportunities are found
in situations of forced labor and forced prostitution. Some trafficking
victims transit through Myanmar from Bangladesh to Malaysia and
from China to Thailand and beyond.