ENGLISH DEYEA NEWS

By SAI SILP : A four-day campaign in Samut Sakorn Province in central Thailand and four provinces in South Thailand will raise awareness of child labor abuses from Thursday through Sunday, sponsored by The International Labour Organization, MTV End Exploitation and Trafficking, Thai authorities and labor rights groups.

Sompong Sakaew, the director of Labour Rights Promotion Network, one of the main organizers, told The Irrawaddy on Thursday the “Stop Human trafficking: Stop Child Labour” campaign is focused on preventing the exploitation of migrant workers under age 15.

The four southern provinces are locations where child workers are exploited by the seafood processing industry, he said.

“The aimed of the event is to raise awareness that child labor exploitation is not far from our daily life,” Sompong said. “Beside that, in the fishing industry, we found that there are human trafficking problems along with child labor abuses.”

The event is in connection with World Day Against Child Labour, held on June 12, when the ILO urged all countries to provide children in their borders up to at least the minimum age of employment with programs that offer education and skills-training.

According to an ILO report, there are 104,253 workers from age 15 to 17 years old registered with the Thai Ministry of Labour. A recent study by Mahidol University found that at least 100,000 foreign child laborers from neighboring countries work in 43 provinces in Thailand and 35 percent are under age 15. An estimated 63 percent work more than eight hours a day.

Activities planned to mark the campaign include seminars, concerts, exhibitions and rallies in five provinces: Prachuab Khirikhan, Phetchaburi, Ratchaburi, Samut Songkham and Samut Sakhon.

In each province, there will be a ceremony presided over by the provincial governor, who will present a strategic plan to combat human trafficking and raise awareness on the issue.

MTV EXIT will present a Radio Head DVD and a special documentary, “Traffic.”

The campaign will also promote public awareness about the new Thai law against human trafficking which went into effect on June 5, offering protection to victims of human trafficking including legal and illegal migrants from neighboring countries,

The law also provides legal rights for children of migrant workers, including the right to access educational opportunities in Thailand.