Building an Integrated Enforcement Framework Against CSAM-Related Trafficking in Thailand
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Abstract
This article develops an integrated enforcement framework for addressing human trafficking linked to the production and dissemination of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in Thailand. The study employs documentary analysis; nine semi-structured in-depth interviews with officials from Thai and international law enforcement, prosecution, government, the private sector, and academia; and three focus group discussions (FGDs) involving law enforcement, prosecution, government agencies, and NGOs, totalling twenty-seven participation instances from twenty-one unique informants. Interviews and FGDs were guided by semi-structured, open-ended instruments. Findings indicate that the challenge is not the absence of legal provisions, but the misalignment of legal frameworks, institutional arrangements, and enforcement practices in responding to digitally mediated exploitation. Although the Palermo Protocol’s act-means-purpose framework is formally applicable, cases are processed under CSAM or cybercrime offences rather than trafficking. This reflects institutional fragmentation, staff rotation, resource constraints, and performance indicators prioritising case volume and procedural efficiency over complexity and victim protection. The article proposes a four-pillar framework: centralised coordination and case screening; victim-centred pathways adapted to persistent digital harm; integrated digital intelligence and cross-border cooperation; and specialist capacity supported by performance reform. It realigns prosecution, protection, and prevention with child-rights-based principles and introduces mechanisms to identify and elevate exploitation within the trafficking framework. It advances a re-reading of trafficking in digital contexts, reoperationalises the three Ps for persistent digital harm, and integrates criminological and institutional perspectives. It concludes that effective enforcement requires institutional and operational reconfiguration centred on the rights and dignity of the child.
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