Republished Press Release from the Times-Picayune
By Jed Lipinski
Attorney General of Thailand and Tulane School of Law graduate Trakul Winitnaiyapak will discuss the efforts Thai law enforcement is making to combat human trafficking during a lecture Feb. 10 at the Tulane Law.
The event, free and open to the public, will take place at 4:30 pm in the John Giffen Weinmann Hall at 6329 Freret St.
Read the full news release from Tulane Law below:
The visit is especially timely, as Tulane Law initiated a multidisciplinary class on human trafficking law this semester. It is taught by Kara Van de Carr (L ’98), a former U.S. diplomat and the founder of Eden House, a haven for women who have survived lives of prostitution and violence. Course exercises include preparing a plan to help an immigrant child detained for prostitution navigate the legal system, and holding a mock legislative hearing to debate proposed legislation to bar renting hotel rooms by the hour.
Thailand has made eliminating human trafficking a national priority, and Winitnaiyapak has said the problem must be urgently addressed, according to reports in Thai news media. Though Thailand’s Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act was passed in 2008, it’s not well understood by some members of law enforcement, he said at a November seminar.
Among other reforms, the Thai government’s Institute of Justice has proposed assembling a database of cases and human trafficking litigation; conducting seminars on judges’ roles in suppressing human trafficking; and training for police and prosecutors to ensure justice for victims.
Thailand is a magnet for millions of migrant workers. The U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report 2014 estimated that tens of thousands of victims in Thailand are forced into exploitative labor or the sex trade. The report recommended a number of improvements in Thailand’s anti-trafficking programs, including more prosecutions, seizing of traffickers’ assets; improved services for victims; and increased anti-trafficking awareness efforts.
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