Age of Consent
In Thailand, the age of sexual consent for both boys and girls is 15 years old. There are some exceptions provided for close-in age relationships where a child below 18 has sexual intercourse with another child aged 13-15 years with consent. However, the criteria for determining voluntary, well-informed, and mutual consent are not clearly defined.
Extraterritoriality & Extradition
Thailand has provisions for both active and passive extraterritoriality, but it is unclear which offenses related to sexual exploitation of children (SEC) are covered by these provisions. Extradition requires double criminality and a minimum gravity of one year of imprisonment, but there are no specific provisions for SEC-related offenses.
CSAM Definition
The national legislation in Thailand does not provide a clear definition of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) that aligns with international standards. The current definition does not explicitly include depictions of a child’s sexual body parts for primarily sexual purposes. It covers visual, audio, and written material, but may not include materials depicting a person appearing to be a child engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Background Check Required
There are no mandatory legal requirements for criminal background checks in Thailand, nor legislation prohibiting convicted sex offenders from holding positions involving or facilitating contact with children. However, foreign teachers are required to undergo a mandatory criminal background check since 2015.
National Commitments
Thailand has ratified several international conventions related to child protection, but has not ratified certain agreements such as the WTO Framework Convention on Tourism Ethics and some Council of Europe conventions.
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