Illegal Migration Women Trafficking From Laos To China

The phenomenon of human trafficking has been subject to an increasing international attention in recent years. The concept of 'human trafficking' is a blurred one, and to a large extent based on assumptions and perceptions made by professionals working within the field of development.Over the past few years, Lao PDR has been facing a strong seasonal and illegal migration movement to Thailand, and recently some cases were reported of trafficking into Myanmar and China for the purposes of buying and selling brides attracting a rising number of female migrants. In the near future, due to its unique geographical situation at the crossroads of the GMS, Lao PDR will likely to tackle an explosion of labor migration flows resulting from the ongoing regionalization processes, generating demand for sexual and labor exploitation as well. Yet, there exists some significant gaps in the available information about the nature and extent of the link/overlap between migration and trafficking. Can patterns be identified to distinguish trafficking from illegal migration? If so, are these patterns linked to vulnerability factors, to awareness levels, to routes taken, to connections? Finding answers to such questions calls for an innovative investigation that can inform us on how migration turns into trafficking and, more generally, on how trafficking operatesIn fact, experts believe that Lao PDR is uniquely poised for increased migration, with more citizens becoming victimized by trafficking. This is due to the opening of borders, and infrastructure changes making migration out of the country easier than previously. However, Danielle Tan1, hypothesis that in the near future, Lao PDR, will be particularly susceptible to trafficking as it is situated at the heart of a fast developing region, with a young population and relatively low economic indicators. The increasing regional economic and disparities the regional integration will lead to an explosion of labor migration flows, generating demand for sex and labor exploitation as well.