Although we were not allowed to take any photos of the game itself, we did manage to sneak one of a jersey hanging up to dry

Human rights organizations focusing on trafficking of southeast Asian women are seeing red over a softball league playing each weekend in a well-known inner city Bangkok park. These organizations, who have asked that their names not be divulged for security reasons, are alleging that trafficked women are playing against each other in softball teams organized by underworld owners of massage parlors. As we discovered here at WoWasis, at stake apparently are millions of baht that are gambled by massage parlor owners on each game.

One western woman affiliated with a western NGO has alerted international authorities to the situation, and spoke with us under a condition of strict anonymity. “Although under duress, the girls are apparently playing under their own free will, because they can buy their freedom with exaggerated batting averages and home run totals. But of course the girls are never free, because team owners will pay a good hitter with a home run stroke thousands of baht to stay on the team. Although rich by massage-girl standards, these girls never end up leaving the stable of the massage parlor owner.”

We arranged to speak clandestinely with a “superstar” massage girl, batting over .400, in a secret meeting set up in the parlor in which she worked. “Nok” comes from Isaan, and was sold to a massage parlor by her mother. “As a young girl, I gathered honey for my family by swatting bees’ nests out of trees. Important to knock nest down with one hit to prevent angry bees from being alerting and then swarming. When I play softball in Bangkok, I use same stroke, so ‘Boss’ pay me 3,000 baht for each game when I hit the ball over the fence. Much easier than working in factory or rice farm.”

We asked Nok if she had a desire to leave the massage parlor. “Boss pay mama 20,000 baht, so I have to pay him. But life good with boss. Every week, farang man pay me 20,000 baht, and I sent home to mama. Easy to pay boss to leave, but he say I cannot play for massage softball team then, so I not happy. I think I stay massage now… I love softball too much!”

The NGO in question has been trying to bring the massage parlor softball league to the attention of international law enforcement authorities, but is stymied because none of the girls with whom they’ve so far spoken have expressed a desire to leave, even in private conversations. None apparently will bear witness against the bosses or mamasans in a court of law.

Nok put it succinctly: “NGO lady want me work in factory for 200 baht each day. Boss pay me 100 baht for single, 200 baht double, 300 baht triple, and 3,000 baht home run. Last week, England man give me 2,000 baht tip massage. Softball sanuk (fun), massage sanuk, factory mai sanuk (no fun).

To further muddy the khlong waters, unconfirmed allegations have been made that unidentified government officials are gambling millions of baht on each softball game, a situation that concerns the NGO official that brought this practice to our attention. “We’re trying to interest these girls in a life of freedom, and we’ve found some very nice clothing factories that will employ them. And we’re trying to convince them that a pulled hamstring can end their career on the baseball field in a second.” In summation, for NGOs dedicated to putting a halt to the trafficking of women in southeast Asian countries, the softball scene in Bangkok represents a whole new ballgame, and, if indications are correct, the NGOs are striking out.