Alleviate Suffering and Provide Rehabilitation for Victims of Abuse and Trafficking in the Mekong Sub Region

It is a widely known that Burmese, Khmer, Lao, Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai girl children and women have been and continue to be trafficked within the Mekong sub region, as well as to other countries in the Asia Pacific region, South Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America. Thailand sometimes serves as a transit point for those who are trafficked across borders and onward to other countries. (ILO-IPEC: Thailand, The Situation)

Child trafficking occurs in every region of the world, but Cambodia and Thailand are widely recognized as hubs in Asia for trafficking, particularly for sex tourism (World Vision), with some local government officials in rural and urban areas reportedly complicit in trafficking activities. The northeast of Thailand (the Isaan Region), and Buriram Province in particular, is a primary source of trafficked girls and women, destined for Thai resorts such as Pattaya, Koh Samui, Phuket or Krabi, and for abuse and trafficking across Asia, the Americas and Europe. Tragically the women and children of these provinces also suffer from widespread domestic violence and abuse in their families and local communities.

So it is that Opportunity Foundation chose to establish in Buriram Province of the Isaan Region of Thailand, near the border of Cambodia, and to begin there its work of bringing hope and healing to victims of abuse and trafficking. The first task undertaken by Opportunity has been to build a safe and healthy place for girl children who are victims of abuse to find healing and security; a place where they can make a new start on life.