Human trafficking is a global crisis, forcing individuals into slave-like conditions and various forms of abuse and exploitation, including the sexual exploitation of children for profit. In Thailand, 425,500 people live in modern slavery, with poverty and lack of education being significant risk factors that make children especially vulnerable to traffickers.

The equation is clear: Lack of Education = Lack of Options = Vulnerability. Research by Simon Baker on commercially sexually exploited children in Chiang Rai indicates that education enrolment figures are a key indicator of children at risk of child prostitution. Human trafficking expert Louise Shelley notes that those trafficked are often the least educated; in the tri-border area of Thailand, 22% of surveyed prostitutes had never attended school, and 41.5% had only some primary education. In northern Thailand, 9.9% of children never attended school and for those who do, 57% drop out before finishing high school. Given these statistics, it is no surprise that northern Thailand remains a breeding ground for the country’s commercial sex industry. Estimates suggest over 60,000 children are sexually exploited for commercial gain in Thailand each year.