February 1, 2022. With the aim of building confidence and improving standard and efficiency of victim screening/identification and referral processes, Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan has tasked the Minister of Labour, together with Pol. Gen. Thammasak Witcharaya, Deputy Secretary-General to the Prime Minister, and Pol. Gen. Suwat Jangyodsuk, Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, to lead the efforts.
In order to further improve the victim identification process, protocols and standard operating procedures (SOP) for the multi-disciplinary teams (MDT) and relevant officers need to be in place, along with the appropriate equipment and facilities that meet international standards. As a result, the Ministry of Labour and Royal Thai Police are working together to convert the Immigration Bureau training center in Don Mueng District into the human trafficking victim identification center, which will also be used as the Government’s anti-human trafficking operation center and the training center at the same time.
The facility is designed to facilitate the victim identification process based on victim-centered and trauma-informed approaches. The two agencies are also working to design the MDT work process and referral mechanism, as well as to develop technology that will support the work of MDT, the victim care assessment, and the victim impact statement. All the information will be linked to all 9 government shelters and potentially with Thailand Internet Crimes Against Children (TICAC) Task Force.
The center is modeled after Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center (DCAC) in Texas and will serve as a temporary shelter for potential victims while increasing trust and confidence prior to pre-identification interviews. The DCAC model will also be replicated in 5 other locations – Chiang Mai, Chonburi, Phuket, Ubon Ratchathani, and Kanchanaburi provinces.
This new victim identification center will have the capacity to accommodate up to 100 potential victims of human trafficking and forced labor, with a waiting area for registration, identification, and health screening on level 3, and an accommodation area on levels 4-6.
The screening/identification process will be conducted in a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere with an interpreter or guardian (in the case of a potential child victim), if needed. MDT will be in the listening room with a monitor system and necessary equipment used for communicating with the interviewer. The interviewing and listening rooms will be of the same standard as the DCAC and the TICAC’s Child Advocacy Center, which was supported by HSI, FBI Bangkok office, and For Freedom International ( FFI) Foundation.
The center, once completed, will be the first comprehensive victim identification center in ASEAN.
