On July 30, 2025
at Ban Huai Tong School, Mae Win Subdistrict, Mae Wang District, Chiang Mai Province
Center for Crime Science, in collaboration with the Lively Awareness Promotion Project and with support from the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), implemented the project titled “Crime Prevention Project on Human Trafficking in the Forms of Online Sexual Exploitation and Labor Exploitation through Deceptive Recruitment for Call Center Scams.” The project was carried out from July to October 2025, aiming to build resilience among youth and vulnerable groups in northern Thailand, particularly in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces.
One of the target schools was Ban Huai Tong School, located in Mae Win Subdistrict, Mae Wang District, Chiang Mai Province, focusing on Grade 6 to Grade 7 students. It is an extended opportunity school in the Mae Win area, where all students are Karen ethnic children. They have relative freedom in using mobile phones and had never previously received training on the topic.
The project aimed to help youth and at-risk groups gain knowledge, understanding, and awareness of human trafficking and online crimes, enabling them to protect themselves, share knowledge with others, and access support services when necessary.
Activities included PowerPoint lectures, videos, role-playing exercises, group games, and interactive discussions, allowing students to learn from the real-life experiences of experts. The main topics covered included:
The situation of human trafficking and online threats
The grooming process and online sexual exploitation
Self-protection and digital evidence preservation
Reporting procedures and how to seek help from relevant agencies
A simple safety principle was introduced to help students remember:
“NO – GO – TELL”
Don’t delete – Don’t talk to offenders → Go to a trusted adult → Tell someone to get help
Findings from the field revealed that many students had received pornographic images from strangers, been deceived in online shopping, or interacted with strangers through online games and social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Discord—channels that increase the risk of becoming victims of online human trafficking.
The project proved highly successful in enhancing knowledge, understanding, and awareness about human trafficking and online threats among young people. Students became more capable of protecting themselves, sharing information with peers, and accessing help appropriately. Schools expressed strong support for the initiative, and some invited the team to return for additional sessions.
This initiative stands as a model for applying crime science principles to community-based crime prevention in a tangible and effective way.
