ARAYA Nikah Planner & Consult Co., Ltd.

1. Social Issues

1.1. Fraudulent Marriages and Human Trafficking

According to a report from UNODC, Thailand is currently facing serious issues with human trafficking facilitated through international marriages. Often linked to cases of coercion, abuse, or exploitation, human trafficking affects women and children, especially those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Victims are frequently misled into believing they are marrying a well-intentioned partner, only to find themselves subjected to forced labor or sexual exploitation. Many women from impoverished regions are lured into marrying foreigners with promises of a better life abroad, only to face severe exploitation and deprivation of basic rights upon arrival.

The connection between marriage and human trafficking is highly complex, with deep-seated cultural, religious, and economic factors surrounding marriage as an institution. For example, in 2018, the case of an 11-year-old Muslim girl in Narathiwat marrying a 41-year-old Malaysian man as his third wife led to mass protests in Malaysia and required intervention from both Thai and Malaysian authorities. The situation highlighted legal loopholes in Thailand that allowed such cases to occur.

Child marriage is alarmingly common in Thailand’s three southern provinces, with Narathiwat reporting 1,100 underage births in hospitals in a single year. This issue is further compounded by international marriages, where Thai women may be taken advantage of without appropriate legal checks. The Guardian reported on Mohammad Lazim, who facilitates cross-border marriages for Malaysian men, many of whom are seeking a second or third wife. Lazim’s business involves arranging over 50 marriages per year, raising concerns about whether these marriages exploit Thai women or if they contribute to human trafficking. Unfortunately, current systems lack the necessary verification mechanisms to identify cases of temporary marriages, marriages of convenience, or trafficking through marriage.

1.2. Genuine Marriages, Divorce, and Domestic Violence

While international and interfaith marriages in Thailand may often be genuine, such marriages bring a unique set of challenges in maintaining family quality of life. Issues like cultural shock, lack of family planning, domestic violence, and even violent divorces can arise.

Data from 2017 to 2022 revealed a divorce rate of 47.8%, meaning nearly five out of every ten marriages end in divorce. Although the divorce rate among Muslim families is generally lower, Isara News Agency found that there were 3,109 divorce cases filed in Pattani province alone over the past five years. These cases often become more complicated if the woman lacks knowledge of Islamic divorce principles or if there are legal discrepancies due to cultural and religious differences, especially with custody matters.

A suitable marital choice and sufficient knowledge become crucial, especially for women, to ensure an understanding of their rights under Islamic divorce laws in Thailand. Unlike in other Muslim-majority countries, where men intending to divorce must enter mediation processes, Thailand lacks similar safeguards, causing a disproportionate impact on women.

Therefore, family planning and education are of utmost importance in such marriage contexts.

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2. Are These Issues Limited to Muslims?

These cross-cultural marriage issues are not restricted to Thailand’s Muslim communities. For example, recent reports highlight human trafficking rings that use marriages to send Christian Pakistani women into sexual slavery in China, affecting over 700 victims. This shows that the issue spans many global regions and often targets women and children in economically disadvantaged societies.

Additionally, the number of international cross-cultural marriages in Thailand continues to grow, as reflected in the Global Muslim Travel Index 2024, the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), and tourism statistics from Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports for 2024. Thailand is increasingly becoming a destination for Muslims from around the world and the ASEAN region, leading to more international and interfaith marriages. Educating women and their families, along with providing legal consultation and support, is urgently needed to mitigate the risks associated with fraudulent marriages.

Mapping of Modern Slavery Issues, Including Forced or Exploitative Marriages

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3.Mission of Establishing a Social Enterprise

Though human trafficking and child and women’s rights are significant societal issues, these challenges are not solely the responsibility of government or religious institutions. Research from UNODC reveals that NGOs hold more detailed information on forced, abusive, and exploitative marriages than criminal justice agencies. Consequently, few of these cases are ever reported to the police due to social stigma and fear among the victims, primarily young girls.

Given our extensive experience in the wedding industry since 2008, ARAYA Nikah Planner has earned the trust of families with diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, both in Thailand and internationally. This trust has allowed us to access critical information, witness the challenges firsthand, and develop systems that contribute to broad-scale social improvement. As such, our mission includes the following commitments:

Photo caption: Islamic wedding organized by ARAYA Nikah Planner, emphasizing respect for families of all faiths in Thailand.

• Establish a global network to promote ethical, safe, and multicultural-friendly Nikah services, developing comprehensive, measurable operational guides.
• Create a global network to promote family planning and education for Muslim couples and converts to Islam to reduce violent conflicts affecting women and children, thereby maximizing family potential.
• Promote social integration through services and products that encourage respectful coexistence in multicultural settings.
• Incorporate social research into real-world applications concerning women, children, peacebuilding, multiculturalism, and family structures, particularly within Thai society, by managing goods and services systematically.
• Provide safe spaces for open family discussions through websites or applications, where women, children, and even men facing injustices in family life can voice their concerns and access family-related resources.

To achieve these goals, we have officially designated ARAYA Nikah Planner & Consult Co., Ltd. as a recognized social enterprise, dedicated to supporting women and girls from all religious backgrounds across Thailand and foreign women married in Thailand. This involves efforts to prevent physical and psychological harm within marriages, raise public awareness to reduce fraudulent marriages and human trafficking, and encourage Muslim men, both Thai and international, to understand their responsibilities toward women and children when starting a family.

Our tools and services include:

• Nikah Guardian Thailand framework to regulate international marriages ethically,
• Standard wedding planning that prevents legal loopholes,
• Pre-marital training for cross-cultural couples, particularly for Muslims in Thailand’s southern provinces,
• Publications on Muslim family planning and management in multicultural societies,
• Educational media focused on family planning and risk awareness,
• Workshops for fostering positive family relationships, and more.

Future plans include expanding services for people of all faiths or none in Thailand to ensure that all cross-cultural marriages uphold the safety and security of Thai women and children, as aligned with our purpose and mission.

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4. Social Objectives Aligned with SDGs

SDG 5: Gender Equality

• Target 5.1: ARAYA Nikah Planner is committed to eliminating discrimination against women through education, pre-marital training, and systems that uphold women’s rights in cross-cultural marriages, preventing them from becoming victims of fraudulent marriages and human trafficking.
• Target 5.2: Human trafficking prevention through marriage is a core focus, with efforts to stop sexual and domestic violence via our Nikah Guardian Thailand framework, ensuring women are not exploited under the guise of marriage.
• Target 5.3: ARAYA is committed to combating child marriage and forced marriages in Thailand’s southern provinces by promoting rights awareness and pre-marital training.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

• Target 16.1: ARAYA addresses family violence resulting from cross-cultural marriages, reducing domestic violence through systems that protect women and children.
• Target 16.2: The company’s approach to human trafficking, particularly in cross-cultural marriages, leverages global networks to shield women from exploitation and trafficking.
• Target 16.3: ARAYA works with legal institutions to minimize legal loopholes in cross-cultural marriages, promoting justice and fairness.
• Target 16.7: We encourage inclusive decision-making within families, empowering women with the knowledge to make informed marital and family decisions, thus fostering justice and equity in family matters.

References

• INTERLINKAGES BETWEEN Trafficking in Persons and Marriage Issue paper 2020, UNODC
• BBC News (July 2018), BBC
• The dark secret of Thailand’s child brides, theguardian.com, 2018
• Global Muslim Travel Index 2024, Crescent Rating
• Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA): ASEAN
• Global Slave Index, WalkFree.org
• SDGs – SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS, sdgs.un.org