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Children’s Organization of Southeast Asia (COSA) is a nonprofit, non-government organization based in northern Thailand that works to prevent human trafficking in surrounding regions. Established in 2009, COSA operates by developing relationships with outreach communities based on trust, cultural understanding and partnership with vulnerable communities to fight human trafficking at its source. The ultimate goal of this upstream approach is to promote long-term, sustainable social change.

About
COSA’s philosophy is one of prevention through education. It believes that providing children with safety and access to school while simultaneously educating and empowering target Hill Tribe communities is the key to battling the culture behind human trafficking. Baan Yuu Suk is COSA’s flagship shelter, while MOSAIC, OASIS, and PASS are its foundational outreach programs.

In addition, COSA aims to reduce trafficking stereotypes and to emphasize the issue’s complexity by raising awareness both internally and externally. A Forbes article, highlighting COSA’s initiative, debunks common myths about trafficking, separating the facts from fiction.

History
COSA was founded in 2006 by Mickey Choothesa and Anna Choothesa. As a documentary photographer, Mickey spent 26 years recording major conflicts the world over, including Bosnia, Somalia, Rwanda, and Central Africa. In 1998, a photography expedition in his home country of Thailand shaped his desire to focus on fighting the human exploitation he witnessed amongst the country’s minority Hill Tribe populations in northern Thailand. Once Mickey and Anna’s idea of COSA came into fruition, Mickey made the decision to dedicate his life to the battle against human trafficking.

COSA predominantly works to mitigate the effects of statelessness and the prevalence of child trafficking in northern hill tribes. A journalist from ‘The Muse’ news observes that “COSA works directly within trafficking communities to provide trafficked girls with healthcare, social services, and housing in the Baan Yuu Suk Shelter – as well as to bring awareness and education to the traffickers themselves”.

Baan Yuu Suk
Baan Yuu Suk is home to girls who have either been or are at high risk of being sexually abused, exploited, or trafficked. Established in 2009 as its first major project, it is also the keystone location where COSA operates. Aged between 7 and 17 years, all of the girls in the shelter are supported throughout their schooling, with an option to continue on through higher education.

MOSAIC
In 2011, MOSAIC (Medical Outreach and Social Aid In Communities) was created to address the medical and social needs of the people in target communities. Easily preventable or treatable illnesses become debilitating and prohibit people from working, adding to the economic struggle faced by families and putting children at risk of exploitation and sex trafficking. The MOSAIC program is designed to address the social health issues faced by hill tribe members. Along with healthcare services COSA provides family counseling, casework, child abuse intervention, and emergency housing and relief. COSA works to develop strong communities with access to basic human rights such as mental health and medical treatment.

PASS
The PASS Project (Providing Access to School and Safety) was established in 2012 as an initiative to provide children in at-risk communities free access to transportation to school. Within the ethnic minority communities of northern Thailand, access to school can often mean a 1-2 hour walk, cycling a broken bicycle up and down steep and bumpy terrain or having access to a motorcycle, which for many families, is a commodity that they cannot afford. Coupled with a lack of financial support for lunch when the child gets to school, and escalating classroom, uniform and equipment costs, sending a child to school within these villages can often be an expensive and frustrating commitment for a family.

OASIS
Outreach and Special Intel Services (OASIS) is COSA’s most recent outreach program. OASIS was established in 2014 in conjunction with the Royal Thai Police (RTP) with the aim of empowering COSA’s prevention initiatives and improving its outreach objectives. Through OASIS, COSA works to help find shelter and safe houses for children who have been rescued by the RTP in anti-trafficking operations.

Additional information
Featured in a Chiang Mai news source, City Life, COSA is gaining more public recognition and greater receptivity to its new angle to combating child trafficking.