Gender and Development

Untangling the Web of Human Trafficking and Unsafe Migration in Cambodia and Lao PDR

As roads are completed and transportation becomes easier, faster and more efficient, cross border movement of goods and people are likely to increase. Northern Lao PDR and Northeastern Cambodia are regions that are experiencing rapid development. While the process is resulting in rapid exposure to urban lifestyles, market economy and media influences, it is also bringing about significant cultural changes. The process is having a significant impact on women, girls, and men in isolated ethnic communities in the region.

Kim Moun Women Carrying Firewood, Lao PDR. Photo courtesy of Manoshi Mitra.

ADB’s technical assistance, Promoting Safe Migration and Preventing Trafficking in Women and Children in the GMS, supported research on ethnic groups in northern Lao PDR and North-east Cambodia to assess the “pull” and “push” factors of migration and the social changes taking place in these communities. The research results suggest that a common or predictable pattern of human trafficking and unsafe migration cannot be expected and that different ethnic groups have different propensities for migration. The study identified ethnicity as a key variable in how social change affects migration and mobility.

Human Trafficking in Lao PDR: Factors Contributing to Increased Poverty and Vulnerability

Ethnic communities that are more exposed to the outside world and external influences through enhanced connectivity or, those experiencing social disruption are more likely to be victims of trafficking and unsafe migration. Recent government policies to restrict or even deny access to shifting cultivation and harvesting of non-timber forest products – two traditional sources of income for upland communities – is resulting in increased migration in search of new sources of income. Demand for consumer goods is increasing while incomes are decreasing among ethnic communities. Further, the need for cash is expanding as consumer goods are beginning to replace the more traditional symbols of wealth and status in upland social systems.

In the Lao PDR, the Lao-Tai communities vulnerability to trafficking stems from the needs and desire to earn money to meet emerging cash needs. Modernity, materialism, consumerism, and upholding parental status in the eyes of the community are factors that drive migration for new opportunities. Social disruption may also lead to “unnatural” out-migration and exploitation. The study revealed that members of upland groups who were trafficked came from relocated and resettled villages.

In Meuang Long District in Louang Namtha, there was one case of a group of 16 Lahu girls (ages 15-18) who left the village at the same time in search of income earning opportunities. The girls went in different directions; at least 6 of the girls reappeared and were working as prostitutes in a guesthouse in Vieng Phoukha. The fate of the remaining girls is unknown.

The Mon-Khmer groups, including the Sam Tao, Khmou and Lamet, were found to migrate mostly to Thailand. The research found that the Khmou and Sam Tao are likely to migrate for longer periods than the Lamet. In one village south of Houay Sai, the Lue people travel to Thailand for seasonal agricultural labor. In other Lue villages that were located further inland, the research found that the Lue people do not migrate. The same was true for the Moun, Mien, and Yay along Route 3A (North South Economic Corridor).

In the village of Houay Sala, the research found that three Hmong people crossed the border to Thailand to stay with relatives. The migration pattern among the Hmong people is an example of planned movement across a border. It is not surprising, therefore, that the research found few Hmong girls trafficked and engaged in commercial sex work.

While further research is needed, some promising approaches to addressing trafficking and unsafe migration include:

• Counter-measures such as the use of indigenous languages and specifically tailored cultural approaches to raise awareness about the risks of human trafficking and promote safer migration practices
• The ADB-UNESCO technical assistance project is developing a number of prevention messages through ethnic radio drama programs in Lao PDR, Cambodia, Thailand and Yunnan Province, PRC
• A number of Lao institutions are working to capture indigenous knowledge, such as: the Committee for Social Sciences, the institutes for cultural research and linguistic research, and the Institute of Ethnography and Religion. By building rapport with villagers from different ethnic groups, institutions can help build the confidence of ethnic people in their own indigenous knowledge and strategies for coping with policies such as land reforms

Unsafe Migration and Human Trafficking in Cambodia

In Cambodia, ethnic groups rely on their access to natural resources for their traditional livelihoods and their entry into the cash economy. Infrastructure projects are better connecting ethnic communities to markets and distant growth centers. Sustainable tourism development offers local communities opportunities for increased incomes. These developments are simultaneously providing new opportunities and resulting in rapid social changes in this area leading to increasing conflict in the management of natural resources. If not managed properly, such change can cause considerable dislocation of traditional livelihoods and unsafe migration of people across provincial and state borders, especially of women and children.

Since the 1990s, Ratanakiri Province has increasingly experienced the effects of growing tourism and in-migration due to national settlement policies. There’s increasing trend towards cultivation of cash crops, logging and land speculation. Road improvements and political stability have played a major role in fueling these trends, as land prices are increasing in the province.

The study carried out a household survey, which highlighted that ethnic groups are shifting more rapidly from traditional lifestyles to the cash economy. The level of participation in the market economy is closely correlated with factors such as ethnicity, access to land, access to cash, types of crops grown, and proximity to Banlung (capital of Ratanakiri). Traditional subsistence way of life for ethnic people in Ratanakiri is embedded in the connection they have with their land. Land is collectively owned and shared by villagers—presenting a type of security system for each village. It is used mostly for swidden farming (also known as ‘slash and burn’ or chamkar farming). Access to land and the forest is also valued for its integral connection with culture.

The study examined the speed at which a number of villages in Ratanakiri were shifting from traditional subsistence to a market economy. Communities were found to be at different points of the spectrum, but all moving towards a more cash-based economy. Some were entering into the market economy, while maintaining the communal ownership of the land and its crops. Other communities were not ready to enter into the market economy.

For some ethnic people, especially those that had lost their land, these changes were leading to an emergence of new types of vulnerabilities such as human trafficking and unsafe migration. Loss of land is the main factor in pushing communities to become increasingly dependent on money for products and services. Rapid assimilation with lowland lifestyles can trigger one's vulnerability, especially for women, to exploitation and unsafe migration due to a lack of information and employable skills. The study found that traffickers are beginning to see Ratanakiri as fertile ground for the recruitment of new victims, as the province is emerging as the next transit point for the trafficking of girls from Viet Nam into other parts of Cambodia and beyond. Opportunities for trafficking must also be recognized as a significant vulnerability in and of itself.

Conclusion

The technical assistance project suggests and makes a number of recommendations applicable to both Lao PDR and Cambodia:

• Land loss (and loss of livelihood) is the single and greatest factor contributing to the vulnerability of ethnic groups
• Awareness raising programs against human trafficking should be broadly based on the issue of exploitation, the realities of migration and the rights of men and women to employment and business opportunities
• Referral and support systems, especially at the community level, are a good source of information, assistance and support
• A community-based monitoring system could help collect information and data on the implications of land loss and alienation on men and women
• Improve women’s access to jobs and livelihood opportunities
• Additional research is needed to investigate the emergence of demand for sex workers and the existing and potential influx of women and children into this trade

For more information contact Manoshi Mitra, SESS.

mmitra@adb.org