The third article I will include in my research paper is titled Harbouring the Illicit: Borderlands and Human Trafficking in South East Asia. This article focuses on the influence borders of neighboring countries have on human trafficking. These borders are Cambodia and Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia, and Thailand and Myanmar. Human trafficking is able to prevail in these areas due to social and political dynamics. Some examples are weak institutions, poverty, trafficking networks, etc.
Munro (2012) breaks down the three geographical zones of borders. “Firstly, a border heartland directly at the border; Secondly, the intermediate border; and thirdly, the outer borderland.”( P:161) The researcher emphasized that the border heartland helps with the development of crimes. The articles also mention that the history of these countries have contributed to their human trafficking issue today. For example, in Thailand, slavery was a part of the country’s history. Some of the slaves came from Burma, what is now known as Myanmar, a country that boarders Thailand. The popular slave routes used back then, are still used today by traffickers. Munro (2012) also mentions that due to the conflict between the two countries and economic reasons, this as forces women over to Thailand. Women seek better opportunities which traffickers take advantage of. They advertise false jobs to vulnerable women and children which eventually lands victims in this never-ending cycle.
As mentioned earlier, one of the big contributors to human trafficking in these areas is due to weak institutions. Police, immigration, and the military are supposed to be monitoring the area. In a majority of these areas, police are corrupted. Traffickers are able to pay off law enforcement to keep quiet. Munro (2012) describes that in Thailand Jao Pho (godfather) uses it power within the area to control the borders. There is something similar to this in Cambodia called the Towkay (Murno 2012).
The articles also touched on the brothels located in Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. These areas see a big influx of tourists every year to take part in sex tourism. These areas are attractive due to how cheap sex is and the lack of enforcement of the law. There is a very low risk of being charged with engaging in these activities. Murno (2012) brings up another point about brothel houses. Myanmar has its brothels located near bus stations and/or restaurants. The girls in these areas are called singing girls (Murno 2012). They dance for flowers which symbolize sex services. Due to this environment girls tend to be drugged and taken away by customers.
In conclusion, borders are contributing factors to human trafficking. These areas are controlled by law enforcement but due to weak and corrupted institutions, traffickers and sex tourists are able to engage in such activities. The history of slavery in these countries also plays a role. Due to the normalization of abuse of women and children, human trafficking is still able to continue.
Munro, Peter. 2012. “Harbouring the illicit: borderlands and human trafficking in South East Asia.” Crime, Law and Social Change 58(2):159–77.