Man convicted for trafficking a teenager to Bangkok
Forced Labour
January 2025
At the end of last year, a man was convicted for the forced labour and trafficking of a 17-year-old boy in Bangkok.
The boy, who is now waiting to return home to Myanmar, shared, “I would like to thank the court and the government shelter who took good care of me. I would also like to thank IJM who supported me throughout the legal case.”
Trafficked from his parents for approximately 10,000 baht (£230), the boy was transported across the border from Myanmar to Thailand in the middle of the night.
He only found out that his working status was illegal upon arriving at his employer’s house in Bangkok. The perpetrator warned the boy not to escape unless he wanted to get arrested as an undocumented migrant.
The boy was forced to make and sell roti bread in a local market. He would be physically assaulted if he failed to meet daily sales targets – even being whipped with a phone charging cord and rubber hose.
For six months, the boy was forced to work until the early hours of the morning, without receiving any pay or enough food for himself.
Unable to bear the abuse any longer, he finally confided in a neighbour. After seeing his bruises and witnessing a beating, the neighbour helped him report the abuse.
The police brought the boy to safety and took him to a government shelter. IJM Thailand received a request from the shelter to provide the teenager with aftercare and legal support.
With IJM’s support, the trafficker was sentenced to four years and three months in prison after pleading guilty. He was also fined 640,190 THB (approximately £14,761).
The boy shared, “I feel that the Thai court has delivered justice. I am still deeply hoping that I will be compensated for my unpaid wages, but the sentencing will serve as an example for it not to be repeated to anyone else.”
*Image is not of the survivor