Image by FriskoDude via Flickr An Australian charity has helped rescue three underage girls from a Thai brothel catering to Western tourists.
Volunteers from The Grey Man, a Brisbane-based charity that rescues children from sexual exploitation and trafficking, saved the 15-year-olds from a bar/brothel in the town of Ban Chang, in southern Thailand, on Tuesday night.
It's the first primarily Western bar the charity has raided since its inception in 2004.
The Grey Man's Thailand team leader, who needs to remain anonymous, said the rescue was launched after a long undercover operation.
The raid, on the Jigsaw Bar, was made in conjunction with Thai police's anti-human trafficking unit.
"The sting operation was conducted with no warning and was swift and effective," the team leader said.
"The manager of the Jigsaw Bar ... was arrested for providing the young girls for the purpose of sex."
The team leader said the bar was offering the girls for sex on the premises for $A35.
"The bar was located on a street with other bars notorious for providing similar services to Western men," he said.
"The Royal Thai Police anti human-trafficking unit is a dedicated and committed unit and their efforts and assistance are highly appreciated."
The Grey Man charity, mainly comprised of ex-soldiers and former police, has recently increased its operations in southeast Asia.
President John Curtis said the charity didn't usually target Western bars because they were only a small contributor to the problem.
"However we are putting the foreigners on notice that although we are not trying to stamp out prostitution we will intervene wherever we find underaged girls," Mr Curtis said.
The group said it now had larger teams of highly skilled volunteers and more sophisticated covert equipment available.
The Thailand team leader said this had brought the fight directly to the brothels, pimps and others engaged in the trafficking and exploitation of children.
"UNICEF estimates that 1.2 million women and children are victims of human trafficking each year," the team leader said.
"The Grey Man also runs programs aimed at the prevention of human trafficking by initiating and supporting key projects seeking to assist communities at risk and helping people avoid falling into the clutches of human traffickers in the first place."
He said that alongside its prevention and detection programs, The Grey Man organisation supported victims of the child sex trade by engaging with after-care providers and offering assistance to the victims.
Aust charity frees girls from Thai brothelSource: The AGE.com.au
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