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Published on October 7, 2007

And, it has emerged some women there are being lured to Japan and then into pornography.

The Anti-Trafficking Coordination Unit Northern Thailand, or Trafcord, revealed other young women had been lured to karaoke bars and restaurants in Malaysia and Taiwan.

Trafcord manager Suriya Kasemsirisawasdi said women from North villages are tricked into pornography and prostitution after marrying Japanese men and moving to their country.

"We found, too, that many girls aged just 12 or 13 are sent to work in Malaysia by their parents," said Suriya.

Trafcord recently completed an investigation into human trafficking in communities in Chiang Mai, Lampang and Phayao.

Suriya said the government needed to make human trafficking in the North a national-agenda item.

The unit discovered the culture of violence among juveniles was worsening and leading these teenagers into a life of crime.

Deputy director of Suanprung Psychiatric Hospital Dr Parithud Silpakij said teenagers were turning to violence as a way to solve problems because they saw it in the cinema and television.

He cited instances of girls brawling in public and senior students beating a first-year student.

Parithud said violence was a symptom of teenage neglect caused by economic factors that demanded parents work long hours outside the home.

Parithud blamed war and violence in movies or television, too.

Over the past few years, the Mental Health Department and the Education Ministry have established mechanisms to help students with mental-health problems.

Where signs of problems are found, teachers counsel the students and visit their homes.

The ministry hopes this will help teenagers and reduce their violent behaviour.

Parithud said all schools were not covered by this service yet and help was needed in areas without this care.

Pichaiyong Mayeukoo,

Khwandao Jitrpana

The Nation