Bangkok – A Thai criminal court on Monday sentenced a woman to 7½ years in prison for trafficking her daughter into sexual services at a massage parlor in Tokyo.
The mother entered Japan with her then-12-year-old daughter in June last year on the pretext of sightseeing before abandoning the girl at the massage parlor, according to the court in Bangkok.
The case came to light in September after the girl sought help alone from the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau.
Thai police said the mother’s statements showed she had agreed with the massage parlor’s former operator to have the girl work there.
The mother was detained during a trip to Taiwan in September for alleged involvement in prostitution and was transferred in December to Thailand, where she was charged by local prosecutors.
The girl also returned to Thailand in December and is now under the protection of a support organization.
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