Mom of Thai Girl in Tokyo Sex Work Case Arrested in Thailand

Bangkok, Dec. 24 (Jiji Press)–Thai police said Wednesday that they have arrested the mother of a Thai girl who was forced to work illegally at a massage parlor in Tokyo on charges of human trafficking. The mother, 29, has denied the charges. She had been detained in Taiwan for involvement in prostitution but was transferred to Thailand on Tuesday and arrested at the airport. According to the Thai police, the mother visited Japan with the girl in June and agreed with the manager of the massage parlor to let her work there. According to a senior police officer who held a press conference, the mother said that she brought her daughter to Japan because her family was financially struggling. At the press conference, Pavena Hongsakul, president of the Pavena Foundation for Children and Women, a Thai organization that supports women who have suffered sexual exploitation, said that the girl, currently under protection at a Japanese facility, is expected to be able to return home soon. In November, Tokyo police arrested the manager of the massage parlor for allegedly violating the labor standards law by employing the girl, who was then 12 years old, while obtaining an arrest warrant for the mother. Following this, the Thai police obtained an arrest warrant for the mother in November on charges of human trafficking and facilitating indecent acts. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]