The women Daughters Rising serves are among those most vulnerable to human trafficking in Thailand. They are primarily Indigenous women from Northern Thailand's ethnic minority communities and refugee women who have fled conflict and persecution in neighboring Myanmar. Although their experiences differ, both groups face overlapping barriers that limit their access to safety and opportunity.
Indigenous women from rural communities in Thailand frequently encounter systemic discrimination, limited access to quality education and healthcare, and economic inequality that forces many to leave their villages in search of work.
These challenges are compounded by generations of marginalization. Despite their rich cultural traditions and vital contributions to Thai society, Indigenous communities–”Hill Tribes” like the Karen, Akha, Hmong, Lahu and Lisu among others–continue to experience discrimination and unequal access to resources and opportunities.
Persistent poverty, geographic isolation, and limited access to support services have also contributed to high rates of substance abuse and domestic violence in many marginalized communities, placing women and girls at greater risk of abuse, child marriage, dropping out of school, and falling prey to traffickers.
Refugees often lack legal status, face language barriers, and have few opportunities for safe, formal employment, making them especially vulnerable to exploitation. For young women, the consequences are especially severe.
For more than 70 years, conflict in Myanmar—the world's longest-running civil war—has displaced generations of ethnic minority families, forcing many to seek refuge in Thailand. The military coup in 2021 dramatically intensified the crisis, driving millions more people across the border as violence, persecution, and economic collapse spread throughout the country.
In Thailand, however, refugees face a new set of challenges. Without legal status, many cannot access higher education, formal employment, or public healthcare, leaving them dependent on informal work where wage theft, unsafe conditions, and labor exploitation are common. Language barriers, discrimination, and fear of arrest or deportation make it difficult to seek help or report abuse. For women and girls, these overlapping vulnerabilities significantly increase the risk of forced labor, sexual exploitation, child marriage, and human trafficking.
Since Myanmar’s military coup in 2021, millions of young women have lost access to safe, quality education.
Universities have been occupied by the military, destroyed in attacks, or abandoned as students and teachers fled violence and persecution. Many of our students joined the pro-democracy Civil Disobedience Movement, sacrificing the university education and careers they had worked so hard to achieve. Instead of graduating, they were blacklisted by the military, forcing them to flee their homes and abandon futures that once seemed certain.
In 2024 the Burmese Military Junta introduced mandatory military conscription, often using ethnic minority conscripts as human shields on the frontlines of battle. As a consequence, many young people have faced an impossible choice: return home and risk persecution or forced military service, or remain displaced with few opportunities to continue their education.
For these students, our Scholarship Program offers far more than a pathway to opportunity—it is a lifeline. Research consistently shows that access to higher education is one of the strongest protections against human trafficking, providing the stability, critical thinking skills, and economic opportunities that reduce vulnerability to exploitation. At Daughters Rising, every scholarship represents not only a chance to earn a degree, but the opportunity to reclaim a future stolen by conflict.
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