Section 282 — Procuring a person for indecency
English translation
Whoever, in order to gratify the sexual desire of another person, procures, seduces, or takes away a man or woman for the purpose of an indecent act, even with that person's consent, shall be liable to imprisonment from one to ten years and a fine from twenty thousand to two hundred thousand baht.
If the offence under paragraph one is committed against a person over fifteen but not over eighteen years of age, the offender shall be liable to imprisonment from three to fifteen years and a fine from sixty thousand to three hundred thousand baht.
If the offence under paragraph one is committed against a child not over fifteen years of age, the offender shall be liable to imprisonment from five to twenty years and a fine from one hundred thousand to four hundred thousand baht.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 282 targets the person who acts as a facilitator or procurer, arranging others for indecency to gratify a third party's sexual desire, rather than the person who performs the sexual act. Its elements are procuring, seducing, or taking away a man or woman, for the purpose of an indecent act, to gratify the sexual desire of another person, and the offence stands even if the person procured consents. The penalty is tiered by the victim's age, with sharply heavier bands for those over fifteen but not over eighteen, and for children not over fifteen. In practice this provision is frequently charged alongside the Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act B.E. 2539 and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act B.E. 2551, and the courts have at times treated the Section 282 offence and a parallel prostitution-law offence as a single act.
Why this matters in practice
A crucial point is that the victim's consent is no defence: arranging a person for indecency is an offence even where the person agreed, which distinguishes this provision from ordinary sexual offences that turn on consent. Penalty exposure scales sharply with the victim's age, reaching five to twenty years for children not over fifteen. These cases often come bundled with prostitution and human-trafficking charges, so the total exposure can be much higher than Section 282 alone, and where the acts overlap the courts may treat them as a single act punished under the heaviest provision. Anyone accused under this section should understand how related criminal charges stack and consult a Thai lawyer early.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 1824/2565 (2022)
Procuring a person for indecency under Section 282 paragraph one and an offence under the Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act may be treated as a single act constituting several offences.
The appeal court found the two defendants guilty under Section 282 paragraph one together with Section 9 paragraph one of the Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act B.E. 2539, and held that the Section 282 offence and the prostitution-law offence were a single act constituting several offences.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.
Frequently asked questions
Does the person's consent matter under Section 282?
No. Procuring, seducing, or taking away a person for an indecent act to gratify another's sexual desire is an offence even with that person's consent.
How does the penalty change with the victim's age?
The basic penalty is one to ten years, rising to three to fifteen years for a victim over fifteen but not over eighteen, and to five to twenty years for a child not over fifteen.