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Abstract
The issue of modern slavery gained significant attention in 2013 when the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) launched its global campaign, “Seafood not Slavefood,” which aimed to address modern slavery practices in the Thai fishing industry. As part of a transnational advocacy network, the EJF, along with other organizations, exerted pressure on the Thai government to implement policy changes aligned with international standards for the eradication of modern slavery. As a result, Thailand, the targeted actor, ratified the Protocol of Forced Labor Convention in 2018 and the ILO Work in Fishing Convention in 2019. In light of these developments, this article examines how cooperation among transnational NGOs can influence the Thai government’s stance in adopting international norms. Utilizing the constructivist approach to international relations, this investigation employs Finnemore and Sikkink’s norm-life cycle model to explore this question. The concept is applied by tracing the historical trajectory of Thailand's responses to modern slavery issues from 2013 to 2019, while analyzing the roles and impacts of various actors throughout different phases of norm domestication. The findings indicate that international NGOs played a significant role in shaping Thailand’s decisions to adopt anti-modern slavery norms.
Keywords: Modern Slavery, Norm-Life Cycle, International Norms, Environmental Justice Foundation