Child labour abuses by Thai employers are on the decline, but incidents of mistreatment have not disappeared, a new study shows.

Researchers from five universities, sponsored by the Labour Ministry and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), investigated the "worst forms" of child labour in six provinces of Thailand - Chiang Rai, Udon Thani, Tak, Samut Sakhon, Songkhla and Pattani.

The team looked at six different categories where child labour is a cause for concern: house maids, service jobs (waiters, waitresses and karaoke workers), agriculture, fishing, related fishing industries and (forced) begging

Those most at risk from abuse are under-aged migrant workers, especially from Burma,

"Over the past decade, the use of Thai child labour (those aged 11-15) has dropped from 5 per cent of the total workforce to less than 1 per cent," said Suraphol Pathanwanich of Thammasat University and head of the research team.

Panudda Boonpala, child labour specialist at the ILO's East Asia Sub-Region, told The Nation: "It [the 1 per cent figure] is the same level as developed countries, even some very progressive European countries."

The ILO and Labour Ministry report is called "The End of Child Labour - Within Reach". It names Thailand as one of the countries in the region that has been able to reduce the number of working children over the past ten years.

"However, it also says that Thailand continues to face challenges in combating some of the worst forms of child labour, namely victims of trafficking and those in hazardous work," said Ng Gek Boo, director of the ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. Even though the exact number of migrant child workers in Thailand is not available because of difficulties in gathering information, Suraphol said the estimated figure is "millions" nationwide, and continues to increase.

According to one of the team's researchers, child labour in Thailand varies from 5-20 per cent of the workforce in different areas. The unofficial average is 10 per cent.

"Thai child labour is decreasing because of successful Thai education policies, but the growing numbers in migrant groups are due to two main reasons - the existence of supply and demand," Suraphol said.

"On the demand side, Thai employers in various sectors still need cheap and unskilled labour. On the supply side, the better economic situation in Thailand is a magnet for child labour from neighbouring countries flooding into the country for better wages. Thailand is like America in the sense of having long and easily accessible border areas. It is a supporting factor in this problem," he added.

Thailand has no strict child labour law. Children under 18 are allowed to work in particular jobs under certain conditions, and some "worst forms" of child labour are still common.

Among the "worst forms" are the use of child labour for more than eight hours per day; work after 5pm; pay lower than the minimum wage; dangerous or improper environments; and physical, sexual or psychological abuse by employers, the study found.

"We found the worst forms in all six studied categories," Suraphol said.

"Among workers most at risk are females, children younger than 15, those with a low standard of education and migrants with no identity documents. Others at risk are those who work after 5 pm and in the service sectors," Suraphol said.

In Chiang Rai's Chiang Saen, Muang and Mae Sai districts, child labourers work as maids, in restaurants and karaoke bars and as beggars, said Phenphisut Jaisanit from Rajabhat Chiang Rai University.

"The worst forms in the area included children working more than eight hours a day, those being abused and those working in dangerous environments. About 8 per cent of the total workers in the worst groups are child labourers," she said.

In Tak's Mae Sot and Phop Phra districts, the major problem is children working with hazardous agricultural chemicals, Chiang Mai University researcher Nongyao Naowarat said.

"About 99.8 per cent of study children were Burmese migrants. Most of them were employed on commercial farms working with dangerous chemicals," she said.

Samut Sakhon's Muang and Krathum Baen districts have some of the biggest migrant worker populations in the central region. Suphang Janthawanich of Chulalongkorn University said there were two main groups of child labourers in the area: those aged 9-12 working as house maids or on farms, and those aged 15-17 working in fishing and fishery-related industries. Almost all are migrants without identity documents.

"Most of them work in bad conditions for more than 10 hours a day," Suphang said.

In Udon Thani's Nonsa-at, Kumphawapi and Kud Chap districts, researcher Jaranya Wongphrom found that child labourers in the agricultural and service sectors made up 64.7 and 30.3 per cent of the total workforce respectively.

"Dangerous environments and low wages are the two main problems," the Khon Kaen University researcher said.

In five districts of Pattani and Songkhla - Pattani's Muang and Nong Chik districts, and Songkhla's Muang, Chana and Thepha districts - the study was conducted among 300 child labourers in the fishing industries. It found 21 per cent of them were migrants living with their parents.

"We found various worst forms. About 44 per cent work without set periods of time, and 93 per cent are under 15 and work more than eight hours a day," Thawat Thantopas of Prince of Songkhla University (Pattani) said.

Suraphol said that Thailand should provide medical care and education for migrant child labours. Other proper measures, including amendments to the law, should also be considered urgently. Migrant workers should enjoy better protection and the same working standards as Thais, the head of the research team suggested.

The director of the Ministry of Labour's Bureau of International Coordination, Kamjorn Nakchuen, said the results of the research would be integrated into the drafting of a national strategy on child labour in Thailand.

"We have set up a special sub-committee for this job," he said.

"Politically, we have two positive signs. The first is that the Labour Ministry has agreed to head a national committee on child labour. The other is that the international treaty [the Thai-US Free Trade Agreement] will use labour factors as a condition of trade."

Kamol Sukin

The Nation