The Unsung Supporters Of Thailand's Street Children

[webfact]

The unsung supporters of street children

By Wannapa Khaopa

The Nation

Fewer than 100 teachers battle to make new lives for thousands of kids

BANGKOK: -- The number of children who live on the streets of Thailand is rising - to around 30,000 currently. Only some 5,000 of them are cared for in homes for the underprivileged.

With so many youngsters living in such poor conditions, the problems are affecting all Thai society.

The number of street children has risen suddenly and unexpectedly - up from 15,00020,000 estimated between 2006 and 2008, according to Tongpul Bousri, coordinator of a construction worker's children project.

Prostitution among these street youngsters is one of the major problems authorities and agencies should pay more attention to. Tongpul and others urged the government to provide more resources and education for these young street people so they'd be able to find more ways to make their future better.

Tongpul who has been helping street children and youngsters for years said consumerism affects not only comfortable adults, but also vulnerable street youngsters.

"Many told me they did not want to wear shabby clothes as street people did in the past. They rent a room to stay in instead of sleeping on a pavement. They want to own a motorcycle and mobile phone, even if only for a short time, and eat expensive food like they think rich people eat, and play online games at Internet cafes," she said.

"So, prostitution is their answer, as it is the easiest and quickest way to get money to pay for such extravagant stuff," said Tongpul. "Each time, they get Bt300 Bt3,000."

Tongpul added prostitution had become increasingly popular among street youngsters over the past two years - 90 per cent were boys. Lumpini Park in Bangkok, Pattaya and Chiang Mai were the most common places for them. However, her network had found prostitution among street youngsters across the country.

"I asked them Are not you scared of HIV/Aids infection that can kill you? They said they are more scared of starving than the virus infection," she said, adding they could be responsible for increased transmission of the disease.

Some underage street prostitutes chat via the Internet to seek customers and make appointments.

Surachai Sukkiawon, director of Baan Nokkamin Foundation, who used to work as a street teacher, said the teachers had played a key role in convincing many street children to go into homes and to be educated for a brighter future.

However, there are only 100 street teachers to help tens of thousands children in the country. And only the 5,000 children in the homes study in the education system.

He said many of the teachers earned low incomes while they needed to spend their own money to buy food and snacks for their street students or even to pay the cost of holding activities for them.

Tongpul said she found more street girls in the homes for children than street boys because the boys were confident they could live by themselves. It was harder to convince them. Many street children sent to these homes have run away. After living independently, they cannot adjust to the homes' regulations.

"Each area, which is taking care of 30100 children, receives government funding of only Bt4,000 per year - while the caretakers pay up to Bt24,000 per child per year," Tongpul said, explaining a major facing nongovernmental organisations.

Surachai said another problem was the bias of many school teachers and administrators, some of whom refused to recruit street students. "They told me they did not want these children to dishonour the schools."

Surachai and Tongpul were speaking at a discussion on street children and youngster problems held by the National Health Foundation (NHF) and Thai Health Promotion Foundation last Thursday at the NHF in Bangkok.

In a separate interview, Marisa Koseyayothin, director of the NonFormal and Informal Education Centre for Special Target Groups said her office had sent its 33 teachers to teach thousands of street children mainly life skills, occupational training and basic education in 18 big provinces, home to thousands of street children. The number of teachers was not enough to educate such a huge number of children.

"Our teachers work onsite; teaching where the children reside. One teacher was charged by police while teaching his street students because police believed he was a drug addict and leader of the children," Marisa said.

Surachai and Tongpul said they wanted schoolteachers and administrators to open opportunities for these underprivileged students and be more patient with them. Once they had adjusted to a school environment and teachers had found their strong points and motivated them, many were able to perform well in education and to be student leaders. Many had eventually went on to become engineers, teachers and business owners.

They called on agencies to cancel tight regulations so that child foundations could take the young into home care and find ways to educate them more easily. They also wanted the government to provide more funds for the support of street children and youngsters, and to support street teachers.

Marisa wants the government to hire more teachers and officers for her centre and provide more budget so they can involve more street children. She said also additional officials would make coordination more effective, and increased budget would be used to train teachers and provide more useful activities for them.

-- The Nation 2010-06-21

[lonewolf99]

Staggering statistics if all true.

I am appalled.

This is not the kind of data available from the Thai tourist board.

As the article states these kids do not like to look poor and the ones in the photo (maybe staged) seem well dressed.

other than that I am lost for words.....

its a sick world.

[Colabamumbai]

How would a foreigner get in touch with Marissa in regards to teaching or helping these children buy volunteering their time and knowledge??

[asiawatcher]

I would think there are many who can and will help but this plight is not well known. Some research will put all in touch with those who can help. As a father of two daughters it is more than just sad to read this. Whilst we can't save the world, we can try to assist these kids for a brighter future. Perhaps the red shirt and yellow shirt movements could find common ground in children and extract some of the wasted funds of the rallies to help these kids.

[cup-O-coffee]

"I would think there are many who can and will help but this plight is not well known."

Sure it is, but no one wants to deal with it because it would take a millennium of lifetimes to scratch the surface. Who is going to sacrifice their life to that? You see it all around you, but you have grown accustomed to it; to the point that it blends in with your sense of normalcy.

This is another candy-coated pap article that only describes the water instead of the man who is drowning. I believe that it is simply a piece of wood to throw on the fire of big money so that governments can become more involved in human issues; whereas humans being responsible should be the point.

These roving bands of street children should be recognized as a legitimate sub culture. They will not go away too soon. They are a sub-culture!

I do not hate kids, but I am fully aware that kids grow up to become mean intentioned adults.

While the bumbling idiots are thinking of ways to make a profit in the name of helping these contentious and despondent kids, these kids are adapting to a feral lifestyle that is their version of normal; and they get to because they are cute and innocent kids, protected by the powers that be; to run wild and wreak havoc among us. Although some would make me want to make me think otherwise, I believe that the human spirit is resilient in any form, and these kids will find their own way whilst taking advantage of the "gravy wagon". Actually, the "gravy wagon" will become a good reason for them not wanting to conform to societal standards, and IMHO, Thailand's societal standards are nothing to boast about, when one is looking at a life that is free from all responsibility and accountability. Kids that run away because they do not like to be corrected? The powers that be who sympathize for the poor dears because they got their bums whacked for hitting mom in the face, or stealing dads money out of his wallet? Give me a break. You will never find a pacifist in a foxhole. Ever hear of tough love?

Has anyone bothered to ask these kids if they mind living the way they do; or that their "shocking" behavior (the sex, drugs, delinquent and violent behavior)

seems out of norm for them? I submit that they do not know the difference and trying to get them to conform to acceptable social standards using the current pacifistic methods is like trying to describe the color "red" to a man who has been blind from birth. Simply getting their interest to begin with is an insurmountable task. The thing is, if you try to reason with a child, you will go quite mad. They will unravel your adult ability to use logic and wisdom. Until these kids are seen as a future threat to society, and until they are placed under the care of some "Tough Love" (and I do mean convincing and sincere, unconditional love) program that will turn them into good citizens who have a solid education and healthy cultural awareness; as well as a positive self image and self esteem; until this and more is done - regardless of their feral protests and struggling; then all hope is lost for them, and they will be on their own to find their way in life. And who in this society has the mental faculties to bear this burden of convincing and persuading feral human beings that "this is not as good as it gets; there is something better out there".

You see, one day these cute kids will all grow up, and then they will be a liability to society; criminals, prostitutes and the like. And what did they learn in the mean time while they were growing up? They were learning that, as cute kids, they can control and manipulate adults through behavioral patterns which exact sympathy and charity, and as despicable, feral teenagers and adults; no one really wants them or their uncontrollable and violent behavior around! Do you? The pacifists whine and cry about this, but place these kids in their neighborhood and all sorts of protest would follow. Whoever can show me a child that has the mental faculties to know the differences between socially acceptable and unacceptable behavior will win my appreciation. It simply is not going to happen. Kids do not think of things all by themselves. They must be taught, corrected, punished, and rewarded; all in a system designed to bring out their best human behavior that benefits the collective whole, and not just the one.

Another thing; it is a proven fact that kids can be manipulated to say just about anything, as long as they believe there is a benefit, or they are held captive to fear. These articles, again, do nothing to address the truths behind the reason that there are hundreds of thousands of delinquent minors living among us. They are having sex with each other and with adults. They are using drugs together that are being provided to them by adults (admittedly adults in uniform - and that should be a news item right there but no one cares, right?) That they will be feral, is a certainty; but our feral is their normal. The question remains of how society will feel the effects once they reach that age when they are no longer adorable, cute, lovable; and instead lashing out at society in an attempt to blame everything around them for their own problems.

So please, do not try to make me feel sorry for something that I am already aware of, and also aware of the contributing factors. Life happens! The ones who fight for a cause may be noble, or not! The ones who take advantage of the less fortunate, as an excuse to increase their coffers, may even be charlatans; but who really has the time to care? Budget increases will be granted and the down payments on the Landrovers will be made. More children will appear on the streets in the form of a government and non-government cottage-industry, and the sub-culture will gain more notoriety as they advance in age. We will be taxed to make it go away. And the ones who really think they can nobly stem the flow of this tide are living on borrowed time.

That is what I really think, although a sense of politeness makes me want to say something trite and meaningless, just so everything is nice and cozy; but then, where is the sincerity in it all? Where is the courage to find the truth and bring about effective change?

Edited June 22, 2010 by cup-O-coffee