9781422274002

Human trafficking is a huge problem, particularly in Vietnam and Cambodia.

Some families go so far as to kidnap girls from neighboring Asian nations, like Cambodia or Vietnam, to give their son a wife. For decades, South Korean men far outnumbered women. It is very common to see families with a 20-year-old daughter and a five-year-old son, meaning there were countless baby girls aborted or killed in between. Some social norms are slowly changing. South Korea has greatly changed its policies, allowing genders to have equality in status, and women have plentiful work opportunities. Many newer South Korean leaders have been women. Sons in Asian countries have generally abandoned the practice of caring for elderly parents. As it is left to the daughters now, they are becoming valued in society. Human Trafficking In 2019, Thailand rescued nearly 2,000 human trafficking victims, three times the number from 2018. These women and children are migrants from nearby Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar who come to work in Thailand. In all, Thailand has about 5 million migrants that comprise 10 percent of the country’s workforce. Some are

14 ASIA: FACTS & FIGURES