What economic, sociocultural, and political challenges does Thailand face when implementing legislation on human trafficking for sexual exploitation? : A study exploring the views of various actors involved.

Abstract: Trafficking for sexual exploitation is a phenomenon that greatly affects the individual as well as society. The effect is grim for the victims and their families, as sex trafficking violates their basic human rights, can shatter families, and cause severe psychological trauma. Human trafficking for sexual exploitation also has negative effects on societies, it can adversely affect the economy, public health, national security, and gender equality.  Legislations have been implemented in response to sex trafficking in Thailand. The thesis aims to show what economic, social-cultural, and political challenges Thailand faces when implementing legislation on human trafficking for sexual exploitation, based on the application of conflict theory and feminist theory. The research method used is a qualitative case study with a qualitative content analysis of empirical data from interviews conducted and textual data. Through this method, seven interviews were conducted, and four documents were provided by the Royal Thai Government, the United States Department of State, and relevant NGOs such as UNODC were analyzed. The result of the analysis shows that there are challenges related to all three factors examined, making it more difficult for the legislation to be successfully implemented.