Teen victims lured abroad into scam centres last year

A total of 279 human trafficking cases involving more than 200 children and youths were reported last year, with some victims forced to work as scammers in neighboring countries, according to the Royal Thai Police and the non-profit Mirror Foundation.

Pol Lt-Gen Trairong Phiwpan, deputy inspector-general of the police, said that 246 cases involved sexual exploitation, while 33 were cases of forced labour. Of the 279 cases, 170 were committed through online channels.

Police rescued 317 victims and arrested 366 suspects.

Meanwhile, Eakalak Loomchomkhae, chief of the Missing People Centre at the Mirror Foundation, highlighted a worrying trend in human trafficking involving youths aged between 15 and 18.

He said at least 19 youths were lured by promises of attractive rewards to work in neighboring countries, but were instead forced into labour at scam centres.

He disclosed that throughout last year, the foundation received reports of 265 missing youths, including 96 boys and 169 girls. Of these, 47 have yet to be located.

Most missing youth cases involved runaways, followed by family breakdowns and deception by human traffickers. Eight abduction cases were also reported last year.