The Criminal Court sentenced a mother to 7 years and 6 months in prison for taking her 13-year-old daughter to engage in prostitution in Japan before the child escaped and sought help from the police.
In courtroom 905 of the Criminal Court at 9:00 a.m. on 29 June, prosecutors handling human trafficking cases filed charges against Ms. Laksana (surname withheld) for procuring, enticing, or taking someone for indecent acts to satisfy another's desires, regardless of consent, involving a child under 15 years old. She was also charged with human trafficking under the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act, Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act, Child Protection Act, and Criminal Code sections 282, 285, and 286.
The case involved the defendant taking her 13-year-old daughter to Japan, claiming it was a trip, but instead forcing her into prostitution at a massage parlor offering hidden sexual services in Tokyo. The defendant then traveled to Taiwan to continue prostitution and was arrested there. Meanwhile, the 13-year-old victim escaped and sought help from Tokyo immigration police and is under the care of the Paveena Hongskul Foundation for Children and Women.
The defendant confessed to the charges. Before delivering the verdict, the court reviewed the defendant's background, which showed no prior criminal offenses and a history of working in massage establishments abroad for periods of about 14 to 19 days, earning approximately 50,000 to 80,000 baht each time.
The court ruled that the defendant violated multiple laws and imposed the heaviest penalty under Criminal Code section 91 for conspiracy by two or more persons to commit human trafficking, sentencing her to 5 years in prison; and for assisting or facilitating prostitution, sentencing her to 10 years. Due to her confession, the court reduced the sentence by half, resulting in 2 years and 6 months for conspiracy and 5 years for facilitating prostitution, totaling 7 years and 6 months imprisonment. The court also confiscated the mobile phone as evidence.