Community partnerships for the prevention of the worst forms of child labor among migrant children in Samut Sakhon, Thailand

While human trafficking in the fishery industry in Samut Sakhon has been frequently reported, more prevalent social challenges against migrant children are underdocumented. Despite the 2005 national policy to allow children of all nationality to attend school in Thailand, a large majority of migrant children in Samut Sakhon still lacks access to education. This subsequently puts the children at risk of hazardous child labor in the seafood processing industry, particularly in the unregulated primary processing plants. This thesis examined the child labor prevention model employed in Samut Sakhon, which focuses on providing transitional education to migrant children and implementing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Eight stakeholders from various sectors (business, nongovernment organizations, education, and government) were interviewed to understand the dynamics and to examine the challenges and opportunities involved in the stakeholders' partnerships. Further, this thesis explores the outcomes of the child labor prevention model. The study found that there was inadequate quantitative data to evaluate the statistical effectiveness of the model. However, interviewees reported positive perception of the model and partnerships as well as an overall progress with the issue of child labor. In addition, interview responses revealed challenges in model implementation due to corruption and the lack of involvement from the government sector. Lastly, the findings suggest better considerations of the quality of education, the financial need of poor migrant families, and more solution and policy-oriented CSR strategies.