Responsible tourism in Thailand

For centuries, mahouts have trained elephants across Asia to transport people and carry heavy loads. The tradition of working elephants is a complex one – it is an ancient way of life for entire communities in some regions of Southeast Asia, and elephants are able to penetrate dense forests and cross rivers in a way that vehicles are not – meaning they can be used for small scale logging without the need to bulldoze forests to create roads and bridges. Today, there are only around 5,000 elephants living in Thailand – and over half of these are described as “domesticated”. As these are captive elephants have been trained to work with humans, they cannot ever be released into the wild. However, when the Thai government halted logging, many elephants found themselves “unemployed” and were put to work in the growing tourist industry.

This encompasses a wide range of activities, from performing in circus-like shows and being ridden around city centres, to carrying tourists through the jungle to being bathed by volunteers. One thing to bear in mind is that elephants are not “domesticated” in the same way as dogs or horses, as they have never been bred for captivity in the same way as other species. Their wild instincts remain, therefore, and baby elephants must endure a horrific process known as phajaan – or “crushing” their wild spirit – to tame them into submission. The sad fact is that tourism has now turned elephants into a lucrative business – a “crushed” baby can be worth tens of thousands of pounds.



What you can do
Inform yourself of the issues first by reading out comprehensive guide to elephant trekking. Some animal rights organisations urge a boycott of all elephant sanctuaries – but the thing to remember is that there are thousands of ex-working elephants who now need caring for. One of the best sanctuaries for rescued and retired animals is Elephant Nature Park near Chiang Mai, which has a medical centre, natural landscapes for the elephants to live in and an expert team of carers, who look after them round the clock. The sites exist very much for the elephants, not for the tourists. Volunteers undergo training programmes to be able to look after the elephants, and the fee is reinvested into the elephants’ care as well as in local community projects, often supporting the families of the former mahouts, as well as reforestation work.

Research is key, and with the Internet there is no excuse for making incorrect assumptions about a sanctuary, park or elephant "orphanage". Look at photos or videos of the sanctuary you are planning to visit to see how healthy the elephants appear, and what their enclosures are like. Check holiday review sites – as well as the unedited reviews on Responsible Travel – to look for stories of maltreatment. Any good sanctuary will also include plenty of information about where their elephants come from, how they are treated and what visitor interaction does or doesn’t involve – anywhere offering performances, painting or rides should be avoided.

Riding elephants damages their spines – and the animals have been beaten or prodded into submission to persuade them to allow riders on their backs. The photos of you riding an elephant may look great at first, but could turn out to be an embarrassment once you have researched what went into “training” that elephant.

Sadly, only wild elephants fall under any legal protection in Thailand, so there is little you can do if you see signs of cruelty. However, you can report it to your operator if a tour was organised through them, to deter them from offering this excursion again, as well as to Responsible Travel. You can also name and shame on social media and review sites – photos add proof of what you have seen.

Some particularly sick-looking elephants are dragged around the streets in chains as “beggars” to get money from tourists – this practice is illegal, so photograph and report it to the local police.

Prostitution has, surprisingly, been illegal in Thailand since 1960. However, as long as large sections of the tourist industry – not just the tourists – continue to actively embrace and protect it, there is little chance that the bargirls or boys will find more meaningful employment any time soon. As this activity contributes to up to three percent of the Thai economy, there is little incentive to enforce the law, even at higher levels of government. In many areas of society, the practice has become normalised, with no social stigma attached to the bargirls and boys. However, while the laws surrounding prostitution remain intentionally fuzzy, those concerning the sexual abuse of children are not: sexual intercourse with anyone under the age of 18 is illegal.

Many families – largely from rural areas – are tricked into selling their children and told they will have a better life. Other children are former street children who have been picked up by traffickers. In 2007, ECPAT International estimated that there were around 60,000 children 'working in sex tourism' in Thailand, with children trafficked from poverty-stricken neighbouring countries to fuel the trade. We say 'working', but in fact, these young people should never be described as child sex workers. They are, quite simply, victims of abuse and rape.

What you can do
Fortunately, there are a number of ways that tourists can help children they suspect of being trafficked or abused in Thailand. ChildSafe  International has a number of certified guesthouses in Bangkok which do not allow guests in with children other than their own, and staff have been trained to recognise potential dangers to children and to inform the police.

The Code also works to protect children from sex tourism. Tourism companies can sign up to The Code, and in doing so pledges to undertake six steps to stopping child prostitution – including staff training, providing information to travellers and establishing a policy. A list of tour operators and hotels in Thailand that have signed up to The Code can be found here.

If you do see anything suspicious in a restaurant, bar or hotel, report it to the manager. Don’t assume that just because you are in a four-star resort that this could not happen. If the manager refuses to investigate, take your business elsewhere – and if possible, notify the police. If there turns out to be no cause for concern, then this will quickly become apparent. The children are actually more likely to be male than female* - so don’t let this deter you. You can also use ChildSafe-certified taxis and tuk tuks. The drivers refuse to take clients with local children, and will not give any information that will support child prostitution. The drivers trawl the streets all day – so they are well places to report any injured, abused or potentially trafficked kids.

ChildWise has a number of international programmes to prevent the sexual abuse of children. If you want to report anything you have seen, call their National Child Abuse Prevention Helpline on +61 3 9645 8911. Download ChildWise’s information pack here.

Obviously, prevention is better than cure, so one lovely way to prevent children being lured into and then abused within the sex tourism industry is to support impoverished and vulnerable families buy buying meaningful souvenirs. Look out for Paper Wear products in various outlets Bangkok. Mothers and vulnerable youngsters have been trained to create crafts so that they can support themselves and put their children through school. The crafts are made at home – so mothers can continue to care for their children. Stores include the Eco Shop, Banyan Tree Bangkok, the Thailand Creative and Design Centre and the Thai Craft Fair.

*ECPAT Global Monitoring Report