This report documents findings from research into the situation of irregular labour migration from Banteay Meanchey Province in Cambodia to Thailand. Banteay Meanchey is a border province with Thailand and is a prime location for sending, transiting and receiving Cambodian labour migrants. The report draws links between labour migration and vulnerability to trafficking in persons and exploitation, considering many of the labour migrants cross the border irregularly. The report has a particular focus on children and youth who are identified as the largest migrant group in Cambodia. Push factors for migration to Thailand are discussed and include poverty, limited employment opportunities, natural disasters and two decades of civil war, all of which have negatively impacted upon the development of greater economic opportunity for many people in Cambodia.
For the research, a survey was conducted in 31 Cambodian villages in Banteay Meanchey. Altogether, 602 people were interviewed, including heads of household, returned labour migrants, children, young adults, village chiefs, commune chiefs, district directors, one commune police officer and two NGO representatives. The 31 villages were randomly selected. Two survey teams conducted the research. Questionnaires were developed and each team underwent training to understand the questionnaires and the data collection methodology.
The subsequent data analysis includes many statistics on the demographics of potential child and youth labour migrants from the surveyed villages and their reasons and motivations for seeking work in Thailand.
The research found that there is a high incidence of child labour migration from Cambodia to Thailand. Migration often takes place through irregular channels because many Cambodian migrants do not have the necessary travel documentation and have not registered to work in Thailand. Although there are a large number of Cambodian workers in Thailand, the research also found that not many families in Cambodia received regular remittances from them. The report concludes that in the absence of a labour migration information office in Banteay Meanchey offering assistance and information on regular migration to Thailand, many people from the province who are looking to migrate to Thailand for work are made vulnerable to exploitation and human traffickers.
The report does not directly contribute knowledge on migrant smuggling. It does provide information on a migration route from Cambodia to Thailand and the push factors that motivate many young Cambodians to search for work across the border. It highlights the fact that many Cambodian workers in Thailand are there irregularly, which makes them vulnerable to being trafficked and exploited.
