Thai Males And Children

[WaiWai]

Girlx is highlighting a very important truth, I think - that abusers are skilled in disguise, and that while (obviously) not everyone is a paedophile, anyone might be - and that might very well be a person the child feels affectionate towards & disposed to trust or respect, such as a parent/step-parent/teacher.

While that does not (of course) mean we should automatically mistrust everyone, and teach children to do so, it does mean that we should exercise due caution.

Everyone can do their bit by letting the kids in their lives know there are people they can talk to, no matter what. Secrecy is a tool of power for an abuser.

Thailand - Northeast tops in sexual abuse of children

July 24th, 2007

Article

Sexual abuse of children is rampant in the Northeast, a seminar on child protection was told yesterday.

Published on July 24, 2007

“Most abusers are the victim’s own family members or teachers,” Natthawoot Buapra-thum said, quoting the findings of a survey.

Natthawoot works for the Centre for the Protection of Children’s Rights Foundation.

He said victims were often found in Buri Ram and Roi Et, where the foundation was working to help them.

He said it was difficult to reach all victims because of the foundation’s limited resources, as well as the influence of certain individuals in each area.

Natthawoot was speaking at a seminar on human-resource development and the protection of children.

Khon Kaen Deputy Gover-nor Sunthorn Siripak said children from birth to the age of 18 years had to be protected.

“We should work seriously to enforce the laws and to protect the children,” he said.

Khon Kaen University lecturer Dr Sriruang Pairotekul said sexual abuse of children was one of the country’s main problems. In Khon Kaen alone, up to 106 children were sexually violated last year.

“Stepfathers, uncles and even biological fathers are among the abusers,” Sriruang said.

She said child abandonment was also common in the Northeast, as parents usually migrated to Bangkok for work and left their children behind.

The Nation

Khon Kaen

Posted in Thailand, Studies, WORLD NEWS.

106 children in Khon Kaen alone is 106 too many (of course).

Just to balance any impression of being "anti-Thai", I will note that Australia is right now facing up to some very serious problems of the same nature which are the subject of daily news reports & debates. Is that "hysteria" or a desire to see a more healthy society ?

I believe all these issues relate directly to the OP.

[Sanpatong]

Let others make theirs rather than drowning it out with your agenda or I will close this topic. Understood?

I have no agenda, just an opinion. if you want to close the topic because i am sharing my opinion, up to you.

I completely agree. Wait, is that the Sesame Street tune I'm hearing in the background?

Mature discussions ARE allowed here are they not? I have a kid myself and I very much would like to continue having this discussion with girlx and everyone else.

Thank you. I think what Girlx says about supervision is key; I would never leave my kid alone under the care of someone I don't trust (or basically ANY male of ANY nationality). However some attention or playing around I think is fine.

Edited August 19, 2007 by Sanpatong

[Ulysses G.]

Most men genuinely would never have the slightest sexual interest in a child. A very small minority do. I still think it's sad that hysteria makes every man viewed with suspicion, when the vast majority are not deserving of that suspicion.

All I can say is that no one (besides older children) ever tried to molest me.

I even knew a Catholic Priest when I was a teenager who was thrown out of the church for molesting children. He was one of the kindest people I have ever met. I knew that he was gay and he had secretly put the moves on a few friends, but they were in their late teens and he didn't try to force them into doing anything that they weren't willing to do for money anyway.

As far as I'm concerned, he wasn't a pedophile, he was just a horny Priest. I do think that he should have changed jobs however!

[kat]

Just playing Devil's Advocate here in response to one of your statements in your last post, kat:

This is because of the devastating tales of children who were abused that grew up to be adults that talked. This does not happen to the same extent in Thailand, and for good reasons.

AFAIK, paedophilia has always existed - right? So, why is it only in the last generation or so that the West has clamped down? As you say, because of the stories told by those abused. OK, fine.

In another thread (I think about books), a member (can't remember who, but it may have been canadiangirl) commented on the fashion, a while ago, for books written about child abuse, physical, sexual & emotional. And that's exactly what it seemed to be - a fashion! Every celebrity you could think of started talking about their abuse: Oprah, Roseanne Barr, Tatum O'Neal, Terri Hatcher... ad infinitum. Add to that repressed memory syndrome, where a lot of memories dredged up by therapists eventually proved to be false (and devastated a lot of lives), and I start to see where people would maybe think that the situation is overblown by the media.

One other thing Rain: I hope you are not suggesting here that I am a victim of the media. Let me clairify something here right now: I have been doing research on the intersection of gender and traditional norms, human trafickking, migration, and commercial sex work in the sub-Mekong region for more than 5 years and have interviewed close to one hundred people and have read at least a few hundred books and research reports on the matter. I have been meeting with academics about ph.d programs and was told that at this point I pretty much have my dissertation and just need to go through the motions to get the degree. The last time I owned a television was about 17 years ago.

Girlx is highlighting a very important truth, I think - that abusers are skilled in disguise, and that while (obviously) not everyone is a paedophile, anyone might be - and that might very well be a person the child feels affectionate towards & disposed to trust or respect, such as a parent/step-parent/teacher.

While that does not (of course) mean we should automatically mistrust everyone, and teach children to do so, it does mean that we should exercise due caution.

Everyone can do their bit by letting the kids in their lives know there are people they can talk to, no matter what. Secrecy is a tool of power for an abuser.

Thailand - Northeast tops in sexual abuse of children

July 24th, 2007

Article

Sexual abuse of children is rampant in the Northeast, a seminar on child protection was told yesterday.

Published on July 24, 2007

“Most abusers are the victim’s own family members or teachers,” Natthawoot Buapra-thum said, quoting the findings of a survey.

Natthawoot works for the Centre for the Protection of Children’s Rights Foundation.

He said victims were often found in Buri Ram and Roi Et, where the foundation was working to help them.

He said it was difficult to reach all victims because of the foundation’s limited resources, as well as the influence of certain individuals in each area.

Natthawoot was speaking at a seminar on human-resource development and the protection of children.

Khon Kaen Deputy Gover-nor Sunthorn Siripak said children from birth to the age of 18 years had to be protected.

“We should work seriously to enforce the laws and to protect the children,” he said.

Khon Kaen University lecturer Dr Sriruang Pairotekul said sexual abuse of children was one of the country’s main problems. In Khon Kaen alone, up to 106 children were sexually violated last year.

“Stepfathers, uncles and even biological fathers are among the abusers,” Sriruang said.

She said child abandonment was also common in the Northeast, as parents usually migrated to Bangkok for work and left their children behind.

The Nation

Khon Kaen

Posted in Thailand, Studies, WORLD NEWS.

106 children in Khon Kaen alone is 106 too many (of course).

Just to balance any impression of being "anti-Thai", I will note that Australia is right now facing up to some very serious problems of the same nature which are the subject of daily news reports & debates. Is that "hysteria" or a desire to see a more healthy society ?

I believe all these issues relate directly to the OP.

WaiWai, you have the same intentions as me. Trust me, I have posted more than 50 links to very credible research reports here and many of the same people still try to base arguments on indignance or insults. To add to the link you just posted, I would say that this incidence is much wider than the Northeast, especially up in the Northwest and near Chiang Rai, but it is not as widely dissected by the Thai media because everything is easier to blame solely on the Northeast. And as I mentioned earlier, it is significantly underreported in Asia and Thailand because of the very strong cultural norms of not speaking out, shame for the women, children, and family, and outright intimidation and violence. And yes, I've come across this as a fact, and not on television.

Most men genuinely would never have the slightest sexual interest in a child. A very small minority do. I still think it's sad that hysteria makes every man viewed with suspicion, when the vast majority are not deserving of that suspicion.

All I can say is that no one (besides older children) ever tried to molest me.

I even knew a Catholic Priest when I was a teenager who was thrown out of the church for molesting children. He was one of the kindest people I have ever met. I knew that he was gay and he had secretly put the moves on a few friends, but they were in their late teens and he didn't try to force them into doing anything that they weren't willing to do for money anyway.

As far as I'm concerned, he wasn't a pedophile, he was just a horny Priest. I do think that he should have changed jobs however!

You know, Ulysses, I have the feeling that you are a very nice man, but your comment above illustrates how out-of-touch you are about the abuse of power and position.

Anyway, on a larger note, I'm sorry to the mods and the op and anyone that thinks I inappropriately dragged this topic off course (although neither I or girlx was the first one to bring it up). I went to SEA and Thailand with absolutely no pre-conceived ideas except that it was a great place to shop and go to the beach, and I was going to mind my business as an urban planner, and carry out my research grant on migration. I gained my view based on what I was seeing and learning THERE, not before. I was all over the Country, and talked to many different people, and dug up a lot of information. I'm sorry if this interferes or interrupts your thread or pleasant life in Thailand.

[PeaceBlondie]

After long discussion by many moderators (three of whom kept warning the participants in this topic that the material was too sensitive to last long), we decided to close the thread. Thanks for understanding.