Bangkok - On 11 March 2022, IOM, together with the Division of Anti-Trafficking in Persons (DATIP) of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS) and Steering Committee of National Referral Mechanism (NRM), organized a Public Hearing on the draft Referral Flowchart for victim identification, assistance and referral of victims of trafficking (VOTs) in Thailand. More than 70 participants representing government and non-governmental institutions were actively involved in the discussion. 

In her opening remarks, Chief of Mission at IOM Thailand, Ms. Géraldine Ansart, highlighted the importance of strengthening the protection and assistance of victims of trafficking. “The development of the NRM, through strengthening the screening, identification, and referral procedures for victims of trafficking, contributes to meeting Objective 10 of the Global Compact on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) approved and championed by Thailand since 2018 and is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8 and 16,” she said. 

Police General Thammasak Wicharaya, Deputy Secretary-General to the Prime Minister for Political Affairs, acknowledged the Royal Thai Government’s (RTG) progress made to date and emphasized the importance of creating interlinkages with existing regional instruments, especially the ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons (ACTIP) as reference and umbrella in designing new referral system.  

During the meeting, the Chair of Steering Committee of NRM, Attorney Pravit Roykaew highlighted that the RTG has conducted an extensive review of the current practices pertaining to the referral mechanism and noted the importance of mainstreaming a victim-centred approach to assistance and ensuring a multi-stakeholder approach for all stages of the identification and referral process.  

IOM commends the progress the Royal Thai Government has made pertaining to the National Referral Mechanism and will continue to provide technical support for its development and operationalization. Led by the Steering Committee of the NRM and DATIP, follow-up consultations will be held with various Ministries, and the result of the public hearing is planned to be presented to the National Committee of Anti Human Trafficking in March.  

The public hearing was organized with the support of the United States Department of States, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration through the Asia Regional Migration Program, and the IOM Development Fund.  

For further information, please contact Among Resi at aresi@iom.int or Saskia Kok at slekok@iom.int