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Woman trafficking 2
APPENDIX 1 - CASE STUDY Trafficking of women from the Eastern Shan State
In the past it was often assumed that Burmese women trafficked from Burma
to Thailand came only from Shan State as trafficking of women from that
eastern Burmese state has taken place for an extended period. However,
the present situation sees women from all over Burma being lured into
prostitution because of economic difficulties.
A brief overview of some of the factors encouraging the
trafficking of women from Shan State can provide us with some
understanding of the overall setting from which many women from the Shan
State, (especially the eastern part of the state closest to the Thai
border) have been forced or tricked into working as sex workers in
Thailand since the late 1960's. Gender based:
a. Shan women face discrimination in all fields - economical,
physical, religious, cultural and political -
i. they are expected to find work that will support their parents
and families, as well as to work the fields and do the housework when at
home1.
ii. as well as the religious discrimination which takes place in
the context of mainstream Theravada Buddhism, local religious custom
dictates that Shan women are not considered pure enough to enter the
central pagoda areas in temples there2.
iii. there is little participation of Shan women in the local
decision making progress at official levels3. Militarism:
b. There has been a long and tragic history of armed conflict in
the Shan state, and in the region, that has contributed to Shan women's
lack of choice.
i. after the Chinese "Nationalist" army, the Kuomintang were
defeated during the Chinese revolution, they fled China and set up bases
in the Eastern Shan State. They quickly took over economic and political
control in the border areas. The Kuomintang plunder of this area provided
another motivation for Shan women and men to cross the border into
Thailand4.
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interview with a former woman mem0ber of the Shan State Army who has
conducted many interviews with Shan sex workers in Chiang Mai, March 1993.
2. Observations of a foreign researcher after visiting Keng Tung in Jan,
1993; e.g. About 16 kilometres from Keng Tung is Thart Som Loi temple.
1200 years old, it is the oldest and most sacred temple in the area. It is
believed that if a woman did enter the inner part of temple there would be
a storm. 3. IBID (1) and (2) above. 4. IBID (1) above.
ii. the U.S. war with Vietnam created a huge prostitution industry
in Thailand which was filled mainly with non-Bangkokian economic migrants.
iii. the civil war in Burma between the government and opposition
forces.
iv. the fighting between rival Shan druglords. Developmental /
educational / economic: c. the complete lack of development in Eastern
Shan State.
i. in many areas there are no roads (let alone cars) and no
schools or clinics5.
ii. the vast majority of Shan women have never had the opportunity
to go to school. They lead very simple lifestyles. Few would directly
blame the SLORC for their problems as militarism, underdevelopment, lack
of education and lack of participation has been part of their experience
for decades.
iii. those who decide to cross the border into Thailand often know
nothing about AIDS, but know that many of their sisters were able to
rethatch the roof or provide their families with other economic
necessities with money earned in Thailand.
iv. it is widely understood by those who know that prostitution is
an employment option that if fortunate enough to survive the period of
prostitution in Thailand, they can raise much more money through
prostitution than through any other work. Geographic / linguistic: d.
Geographically, linguistically and culturally eastern Shan State and
Northern Thailand are very similar.
i. there is no real border (except on the map and in terms of
development) between eastern Shan State and Northern Thailand. Hill tribe
women from this area were therefore lured into prostitution along with
their sisters in Northern Thailand.
ii. most of the border crossings can be easily made on foot or
even legally across the bridge between Tachilek and Mae Sai, which has
been open longer and more continuously then any other border crossing
between Burma and Thailand, 5. Due to the UNDP's border development
program, some model villages with electrification and running water have
been built in order to show visiting foreign diplomats and Rangoon based
embassy officials the "wonderful development program of the SLORC".
However, refugees coming to the border have claimed that forced labour and
theft have characterised some of the UNDP's programs such as the buffalo
raising project that took place in the Shan State during 1992. Overall the
UNDP's border development program has failed to improve the lives of the
vast majority of the people in the border areas and in some cases has
increased their suffering.
iii. Tai Yai (the main ethnic group in Shan State) language is
similar to the Northern Thai language and so Tai Yai women can travel more
easily in Thailand then other Burmese women6. The main centre for
trafficking in Northern Burma is Keng Tung (or Kyaing Don as the Burmese
junta has renamed it), in Shan State, Northern Burma. Here thousands of
Burmese women of Akha, Lisu, Wa, Shan, Tai Yai and Burman ethnic origin
are brought and recruited before being sent on to Northern Thailand7. Keng
Tung is also known as the "Capital of the Golden Triangle"8, and is a
major centre for heroin trafficking. 1.3.2 Brief overview The main
reasons for women entering prostitution are the low status of women in
society, and lack of economic development, access to education and other
services due to militarism. The potential for a woman to enter
prostitution is then affected by local factors such as ease of travel,
communication and cultural and linguistic ties to other women already
working as sex workers. Trafficking of women has now spread to every
corner of Burma and some agents travel widely in search of women to lure
into prostitution. Many brothel gangs operate in Thai border towns,
especially in Ranong, Mae Sai, Mae Hong Son, Phrae, Naan and Mae Sod and
directly across the border from these towns. From these towns women are
sent on to Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Bangkok and to smaller cities and towns
all over Thailand, especially in the south9. Chinese women are brought
from Yunnan province in China to Burma's Shan State and then on to
Thailand. It is estimated that gangs operating out of China's Yunnan
province, especially from the capital, Kunming10, and Sip Song Panna11
trafficked around 500012 women to Thailand in 1991, and a total of tens of
thousands of Chinese women over the past few years to Thailand via the
Shan State. 6. [covering points (c.ii.) - (d.iii.) above] interview with a
former woman member of the Shan State Army who has conducted many
interviews with Shan sex workers in Chiang Mai, March 1993. 7. interview
with Kachin Independence Organisation member involved in AIDS awareness
education in the Shan and Kachin states, September 1992 8. APA Burma 1:1.5
million map. 9. "Smuggling human beings", Bangkok post, 19/7/92. There
are many other places where Burmese women are working as sex workers:
Chiang Rai, Mae Chan, Phan, Phayao, Lampang, Phitsanulok, Hatyai,
Songkhla, Sungai Kaloke are some of the main centers not mentioned above.
In addition to women being sent to places according to their physical
characteristics, many are sent to places simply in response to the demand
for a specific number of women. Burmese women are thus working as sex
workers all over Thailand as Map 1 shows. 10. "An international trade in
sex slavery", Bangkok Post 18/7/91. 11. "Silent Suffering", Nation
6/7/92. 12. "From China to Burma and then to Thailand" Bangkok Post,
19/7/93. From Bangkok many women are sent overseas through an
international network which has links with criminal groups and corrupted
officials throughout the world. From Thailand, many of the Chinese women
end up in Malaysia, Singapore and further abroad as they are highly valued
by the indigenous Chinese flesh trade there. 1.3.3. Trafficking routes
Below are some of the names of villages and towns on the routes along
which women are trafficked: Mong Yawng (Shan State, Burma) - Mong Hpayak
- Mong Ho pung - Tachilek - Mae Sai (Chiang Rai Prov., Thailand) - Chiang
Rai13. Mong Ka (Shan State, Burma) - Keng Tung - Mong Hpayak - Mong Ho
pung - Tachilek - Mae Sai - Chiang Rai - Dalug (Yunnan, China) - Mong La
(Shan State, Burma) - Mong Kai -Mong Hpayak - Mong Ho pung - Tachilek -
Mae Sai - Chiang Rai - Mong Hsat (Shan State, Burma) - Mae Ai (Chiang Rai
Prov., Thailand) Mong Ton - Wan Mekin - Pung Hpa Kyin - Nong Ok - Chiang
Dao (Chiang Rai Province, Thailand)14 By boat - Mong La (Shan State,
Burma) - Mong Yu - Chiang Saen (Chiang Rai Province, Thailand) Mong La
(Shan State, Burma) - Lao side (opposite Burma's Wan Pan) - Chiang Khong
(Chiang Rai Province, Thailand)15 Damenglong (Yunnan, China) - Hsopnam (a
crossing point from Yunnan Province to Burma) - Kaw Ma Chan - Loi Pangnao
(both in the Akha area)16 13. "Procurers find new hunting grounds for
prostitutes", Nation. 14. Interview with Bertil Lintner, Far Eastern
Economic Review journalist and Burma watcher, March, 1993. 15. "From China
to Burma and then to Thailand" Bangkok Post, 19/7/93. 16. Interview with
Bertil Lintner, Far Eastern Economic Review journalist and Burma watcher,
March, 1993.
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Note, need some more information, contact Mr.Chris
C/O ABSDF (Dawn Gwin)
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