International Rescue Committee (IRC)
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The IRC in Thailand

IRC’ doctor examines a refugee patient following violence in Thailand
Photo: Peter Biro/IRC

The IRC started working in Thailand in 1976 in response to the influx of refugees from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Today, we serve people uprooted from Myanmar, also known as Burma, who began crossing into Thailand in 1984. The IRC is aiding nearly 140,000 refugees in nine camps along the Thailand-Myanmar border, providing drinking water and food as well as services like health care, sanitation, legal assistance and resettlement processing, and protection for children and abused women.

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Inside our work in Thailand

  • <p>The IRC prevents and treats malaria, one of the leading causes of death in the region where the IRC works. Nyine Tun arrived at the Mao Tao clinic in Thailand with a severe case of malaria she had contracted two weeks prior in Myanmar. Unable to pay for medicine, she found free health care that saved her life at the IRC-supported clinic.</p>
  • <p>The IRC also helps hundreds of thousands of visually impaired refugees and victims of war restore their vision through a unique program that offers free glasses and eye surgery. Refugees, some of whom had been nearly blind, are now more self-sufficient and can see their loved ones again.</p>
  • <p>Land-mines are a leading cause of injury for this population of refugees. The IRC helps land-mine victims and others with special needs with medical care and emotional support.</p>
  • <p>The IRC works with the local community to help train refugees, some of whom are amputees themselves, to create prosthetic limbs and raise awareness about the threat of landmines.</p>
  • <p>Refugee women face many challenges, from sexual assault, abuse and neglect to exploitation in the sex trade and other industries. The IRC works with local partners to provide women with safe havens where they have access to medical care, counseling, job training and more.</p>
  • <p>Women are especially vulnerable during pregnancy. The IRC supports women with free prenatal care and also makes sure their babies have a safe and healthy start with medical care and birth certificates.</p>
  • <p>To help children grow up safe from abuse and succeed, the IRC works with local Thai partners to strengthen children&rsquo;s rights and provide children with an education, as well as with medical and social services. Through this collaboration, the IRC has aided over 100,000 young Burmese refugees.</p>
  • <p>A minority of refugees in Thailand are in the camps. Hundreds of thousands head to urban areas in search of work, but upon arrival face difficult circumstances that expose them to exploitation and disease. Many urban refugees become trapped in forced labor on farms, factories or in the sex trade and are unable to obtain social or health services or send their children to Thai schools.</p>
  • <p>In response, the IRC helps the Thai government set up health facilities in urban areas and provides legal counseling and referral services to refugees who are victims of crime or abuse. The IRC also assists refugees seeking admission to the United States by processing their asylum claims with the U.S. government.</p>
  • <p>As Thailand battles its worst flooding in 50 years, the IRC is offering support to Burmese refugee and migrant workers who are being affected by the devastation and pressing government officials and agencies to provide food, shelter and basic services. In Wat Kan Ham, more than 300 Burmese refugees live in an apartment block, which is now littered with floating garbage and debris.</p>
Launch Slideshow

When refugees enter Thailand from neighboring countries, the IRC works with local partners to provide them with a safe environment to recover from illness and injuries, give birth to healthy babies, find jobs and start over.

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How We Help

 

  • The IRC responds to emergencies by providing urgent health care and supplies.
  • The IRC provides ongoing medical care, focusing on pregnant women, babies and children and preventing and treating malaria.
  • The IRC provides legal counseling, emotional support and referral services to refugees who are victims of crime or abuse, focusing on women.
  • The IRC helps land-mine victims and others with special needs with medical care, prostheses and emotional support.
  • The IRC assists people seeking admission to the United States as refugees by processing their asylum claims with the U.S. government.
  • The IRC collaborates with local authorities and partners to protect the rights of children, migrant workers and displaced people and ensures they have access to services. 
May 9, 2012 | Blog
Keeping the family peace
Domestic violence is rampant in Thailand's refugee camps. The IRC is helping couples resolve their problems by showing them how to communicate better.
April 26, 2012 | Blog
CBS News Video: From tropical Burma to Syracuse, refugees adjust
April 16, 2012 | Blog
Video: IRC Voice Rashida Jones on Today Show this morning
March 28, 2012 | Video
Sarah Wayne Callies in Thailand, day 3
March 27, 2012 | Blog
Sarah Wayne Callies: Floods
March 27, 2012 | Video
Sarah Wayne Callies in Thailand, day 2
March 26, 2012 | Video
Sarah Wayne Callies in Thailand, day 1
March 16, 2012 | Blog
Sarah Wayne Callies: Cycles

See more stories about the IRC's work in Thailand

Research

PDF Downloads

Understanding hand washing behavior: Results of formative research on hand washing in refugee camp populations in Thailand, Kenya and Ethiopia (December 2011)
Concepts of Child and Family Well-Being among Burmese Migrant and Displaced Communities in Tak Province, Thailand (November 2011)
Access to justice and the rule of law - FMR 30 [PDF]

See all IRC resources about Thailand

Selected Web Resources

Invisible in Thailand: documenting the need for protection - FMR 30 [PDF]
Access to justice and the rule of law - FMR 30 [PDF]
Invisible in Thailand: documenting the need for protection, Forced Migration Review, April 2008

See more web resources about Thailand

In The Media

Sarah Wayne Callies Raises Awareness For Refugees, Talks Motherhood
April 25, 2012 | Celebrity Baby Scoop
Sarah Wayne Callies Raises Awareness For Refugees, Talks Motherhood
From tropical Burma to Syracuse, refugees adjust
April 24, 2012 | CBS News
From tropical Burma to Syracuse, refugees adjust
Rashida Jones Visits Thai Refugee Camp with the IRC
July 29, 2011 | Just Jared
Rashida Jones Visits Thai Refugee Camp with the IRC

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