December 2014 requiring that the verdicts in all human trafficking cases be rendered preferably within six months and prioritizing court procedures related to human trafficking, such as the use of videoconference for testimonies of witnesses outside Thailand and the use of professional translators in court.
The government made some efforts to address official complicity, but corruption and official complicity in trafficking crimes continued to impede anti-trafficking efforts. The government reported investigating and arresting several officials allegedly involved in sex or labor trafficking; most of these cases remained pending prosecution or resulted in officers being removed to inactive posts with no criminal penalties. The criminal court, however, sentenced a senior police medical doctor to eight years’, plus an additional 33 months’ imprisonment on human trafficking and other related charges; however, he was released on bail.The government reported committing extra resources to fighting corruption and publicly encouraged people to report official complicity; it did not make consistent efforts to proactively investigate, or enforce existing laws and regulations available to combat trafficking-related corruption.The Thai Navy’s 2013 defamation lawsuit against two journalists for reporting on trafficking crimes remained pending.The prime minister’s public comments in late March 2015 discouraged reporting on trafficking in the fishing sector. Fear of defamation suits or retaliation also likely discouraged journalists from reporting and law enforcement officials from pursuing trafficking cases. New whistleblower laws were passed and are intended to help better protect ordinary citizens and police from frivolous lawsuits.

PROTECTION
The government sustained efforts to identify and protect trafficking victims.The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS) reported providing assistance to 303 victims at government shelters (compared with 681 in 2013), including 67 Thai victims (305 in 2013) and 236 foreign victims (373 in 2013); 195 were victims of forced labor and the rest were exploited in sex trafficking. Authorities identified an additional 72 Thai victims subjected to sex or labor trafficking overseas; these victims were processed at a government center upon arrival at the Bangkok airport, and most returned to their home communities.The government reported using procedures to screen for victims among vulnerable populations, but proactive screening efforts remained inadequate and require greater consistency.The government deployed multidisciplinary teams in some cases to interview women and children in prostitution,Thai workers, some Rohingya asylum seekers, Bangladeshi migrants identified during raids or onboard fishing vessels, and other vulnerable populations to screen for indications of trafficking.The government continued to screen for trafficking indicators among fishermen returning to Thailand. Interviews were often brief and conducted in open environments where brokers sometimes were present in the same room. Interpretation services for potential victims remained limited, and poor understanding of trafficking indicators by front-line officers, as well as the lack of private spaces to screen potential victims, may have led to many trafficking victims not being identified.
Quality of victim screening varied depending on the area and the understanding of multidisciplinary team officials. NGOs reported that in some cases, well-trained, designated mobile multidisciplinary teams were very effective in interviewing potential victims and could be good models to be used in areas where local officials have limited experience and understanding of human trafficking. As one example, in the north, NGOs partnered with police to conduct

victim-focused multidisciplinary team interviews and are jointly setting up a facility for child victim interviews, with multidisciplinary interview capability. Some law enforcement officers, however, continued to assert that physical detention or confinement was an essential element to confirm trafficking and failed to recognize debt bondage (exploitive debt) or manipulation of undocumented migrants’ fear of deportation as non-physical forms of coercion. Officials sometimes failed to acknowledge cases of debt bondage, and the denial of the certification of such cases at times occurred over the objection of social service providers. Investigators and multidisciplinary teams may also have failed to recognize signs of forced labor and bonded labor in cases where victims originally consented to work, but were deceived about working conditions and subjected to trafficking conditions. Many victims, particularly undocumented migrants who feared legal consequences from interacting with authorities, were hesitant to self-identify.The Thai government continued to refer victims to one of nine regional trafficking shelters run by the MSDHS, where they reportedly received counseling, basic legal assistance, and medical care. Navy personnel, marine police, and labor inspectors reportedly lacked adequate training, clear mandates, and resources to effectively inspect for forced labor on fishing vessels. The government did not provide adequate interpretation services or private spaces to screen potential trafficking victims, severely limiting the effectiveness of such efforts, especially for Rohingya victims. Some front-line immigration officers reportedly deported potential labor and sex trafficking victims. There were reports some personnel in a Thai embassy overseas may have been hesitant to respond to a request to assist Thai victims in that country.
Although two-thirds of identified victims were children, the government had limited specialized services for child sex trafficking victims.The government disbanded the Women and Child Centers within Royal Thai Police (RTP) in late 2014. NGOs reported experienced investigators devoted to child cases were not as readily available to cooperate in the identification and protection of child victims. However, police maintained effective cooperation in child sex trafficking cases involving foreign perpetrators. Judicial officials did not always follow procedures to ensure the safety of witnesses; victims, including children, were at times forced to testify in front of alleged perpetrators or disclose personal information such as their address, which put them at serious risk of retaliation. The Supreme Court issued additional formal guidance in December 2014 to correct procedural problems. NGOs reported concerns over the lack of appropriate options for foreign children whose families were complicit in their trafficking or who could not be identified.
The government issued 57 six-month work permits and visas (compared with 128 in 2013), renewable for the duration of court cases to work temporarily in Thailand during the course of legal proceedings. Among adult female victims who received these permits, some were not allowed to work due to the government’s assessment it would be unsafe or unhealthy for them to do so. Women without work permits were typically required to stay in government shelters and could not leave the premises unattended until Thai authorities were ready to repatriate them. There were reports that victims, including those allowed to work, were only given a copy of their identity documents and work permits, while the original documents were kept by government officials. The government disbursed 3.7 million baht ($117,000) from its anti-trafficking fund to 463 victims (525 in 2013). The government filed petitions on behalf of 57 victims (48 in 2013) and received civil compensation of 8.6 million baht ($269,000).