Hill Tribe Citizenship
The hill tribes are a group of ethnic minorities living in the highlands of continental Southeast Asia. Though members of hill tribes are eligible for Thai citizenship under national law, many are unable to attain it due to complex regulations, lack of access to resources, social prejudice and government apathy.
Without citizenship status, hill tribe members cannot own land and are not protected by labour laws. They cannot travel freely between districts and have no access to social welfare services like subsidized health care. Those without citizenship are subject to arrest and fines.
With lives circumscribed by incredibly limited opportunities, hill tribe men, women and children are particularly vulnerable to lies intended to lure them into systems of violent oppression, including human trafficking.
IJM'S RESPONSE
Hill tribe members who lack the citizenship documentation to which they are entitled are disproportionately vulnerable to human trafficking and other forms of violent abuse. IJM Thailand secures this critical documentation for eligible families as a preventative measure to reduce their vulnerability to trafficking. The office, located in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand, has conducted significant outreach among the Karen, Akha, Lahu and Thai Yai (Shan) tribes. IJM’s citizenship team has provided this vital protection to more than 10,000 hill tribe members to date.
CLIENT STORIES
Ahsuer and Buter's story
ADDITIONAL NEWS
North Park Community Church in London, ON partners with IJM Canada to provide substantial funding for IJM's legal status documentation project.