Stella Maris chaplain receives major anti-trafficking hero award

Stella Maris port chaplain Apinya Tajit receives award from US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken

A Stella Maris port chaplain in Thailand has been recognised by the US Department of State for her dedicated and untiring work supporting trafficked seafarers and fishers.

Apinya Tajit, Stella Maris Deputy Director in Chanthaburi Diocese, Thailand, received the US Department of State 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report Hero Award from Secretary of State Antony J Blinken at a ceremony in Washington DC on 19 July.

She has helped hundreds of workers in the fishing sector from various countries, including Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Burma, and Bangladesh, and has also played an active role in raising awareness of child trafficking, visiting schools throughout Thailand to educate more than 10,000 students each year.

Apinya has worked with global maritime network Stella Maris since 2005 and has for the past seven years dedicated her energies towards combatting human trafficking.

"This Award is completely unexpected to me, and I feel honoured to receive it. Stella Maris works closely with law enforcement agencies in Thailand to support trafficked fishers and seafarers. We assist by way of helping identify victims, rescuing them, helping them reintegrate into society. We provide training, access to legal advice, and funding to help them rebuild their lives," she said.

"Stella Maris is involved in every process that the victims face, so that they are not fighting alone."

In one case, Apinya helped with the rescue of nine seafarers from a refrigerated cargo ship. The crew had sent her an email pleading for help, saying that they were injured and were desperate to get home to their families.

"My maternal instincts immediately kicked in and I had to go out and help rescue them. The crew were saved, the case successfully prosecuted, and the seafarers received their owed wages and compensation. They were safely flown back home," she recounts.

"We return sons to their mothers, fathers to their children, and husbands to their wives. Seafarers may be out of sight, but they are not out of mind."

Apinya says that people need to recognise that human trafficking is still happening everywhere, and not just in developing countries. It is not somebody else's problem, and it is up to each one of us to help eradicate it.

"Let's do what is right, not what is easy. It is essential that all the maritime conventions to protect the human rights of seafarers and fishers are implemented in every country and every part of the world. It's not an easy task but by working together it's not impossible," she said.

A video interview with Apinya can be watched at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfyhfsQGP0E

LINKS

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