The recent case of parents who filmed their children in pornographic videos in Phetchabun province should lead to more government intervention, says a Thammasat University academic.
The case involved a family of 12 living in Nam Nao district. Authorities allege the parents produced explicit content featuring several of their nine children, aged between two and 21 years old, and sold the videos in private online groups.
Assoc Prof Auschala Chalayonnavin, dean of the Faculty of Social Administration at Thammasat University, said that even if the children appeared to participate willingly, the law still considers it a criminal offence as most were under 18.
Officials removed five children from the household and placed them under state care.
Assoc Prof Auschala said similar cases have increased globally, partly due to economic reasons. As many families struggle with poverty and job loss, some parents turn to sexual content as a quick source of income.
She warned that without preventive measures, Thailand could see more incidents of this nature.
She called on the government to work with social media platforms and international law enforcement to prevent the spread of such child pornography, or use AI to detect such content.
The dean cited the US as a model, where sex offenders are subject to life imprisonment for producing, possessing or distributing child pornography, especially when coercion is involved.
She said Thailand lacks comparable legal mechanisms, adding that life imprisonment is only applicable under human trafficking laws when crimes are committed by organised networks of more than three people. “Whether the Phetchabun case qualifies under such criteria remains up to investigators and the court’s interpretation,” she said.
Laws in Thailand can also lead to a delay in intervention as social workers must wait for a court order before separating the children, unlike in the US. She also warned parents to be careful when posting photos of their unclothed children online as the materials can be abused or sold, especially among paedophiles.