Types of Migrant Child Workers in Thailand

Migrant Child Workers can be differentiated by the duration of their stay . There are

two types of migrant child workers:

1. Temporary or short time type - Those who came in during the rice cultivation

season for short periods ranging from ten days to three months were found at

the Thai - Lao border at Mukdahan province. Some who came work for 2-3

months during the school vacation were found at the Thai-Burmese border at

Kanchanabury and Tak province.

2. Long term type - Those who came in to work for long periods in the border

provinces and in the big cities in Thailand, including Bangkok.

Beside the above, there are other means of entering into Thailand of migrant child

labor, especially Burmese and Mon children. They come in under the cover of being

novices, by being ordained in Myanmar and crossing into Thailand. Sometimes, the

children are ordained as novices at the Mon temple in the area of Kanchanaburi

Province, after which they go to reside at the Mon temple in Bangkok, or to Pathum

Thani Province where there are many Mon temples. Later on, they disrobe and sell

their labor. The largest number of child migrant workers in Thailand are of Burmese

ethnicity (including ethnic minorities such as Mon, Karen, Tai Yai, etc.). Overall,

Burmese child migrant workers make up more than half of the total number of child

migrant workers in Thailand. The next largest group of child migrant workers consists

of Cambodian and Lao children. There are also children of Chinese, Vietnamese,

Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and Indian nationality.