Young girls sold as maids flee abusers

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Almost 40 child maids who entered the country illegally ran away from their abusive employers last year.

The youngest girl was aged just 12, the Foundation for Women said.

Dararai Raksasiripong, from the foundation, said the child maids sought help from immigration police.

Almost 350 child and female labourers were detained last year for illegal entry. Sixty-three of them were the victims of human trafficking gangs - 37 of them lured to work as housemaids, 15 worked in the service sector, seven in the industrial sector and four in farming.

Most were sold to work in Thon Buri district in Bangkok and Nonthaburi province.

Ms Dararai said 37 underage labourers, who fled from their employers' homes, were sold into child maid trafficking networks by their families.

Thirty-four of the youngsters were aged under 18, and up to 16 of the girls were aged under 15.

Most came from Laos and were smuggled in vans and pick-up trucks through Khemarat district of Ubon Ratchathani.

The rest, who came from Burma, entered through Mae Sot district of Tak.

"Thai employers prefer underage maids from Laos because they can communicate well in Thai and are honest," she said.

Their families sold them to work in the hope of earning money to support them, but more than 20 of the 37 underage maids never received any wages.

The girls worked 12 hours a day without a day off. They were confined to the house, not allowed to contact their families, received one meal a day and suffered physical and mental abuse from their employers and employers' relatives.

One victim said her employer liked to hit her when he felt upset. Four of the underage maids were raped by their employers.

After fleeing, the girls were captured and charged with illegal entry.

"Police should take legal action against the employers first, but instead they send the children home without investigating why they ran away," Ms Dararai said.