Frenchman Held For Raping 8-year-old Girl

[Roobar]

I suspect that it was pure greed that made the 8-year old's mother rent her daughter out.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's right, it was greed, just look at the fact it was her own daughter that she rent out. Edited August 30, 2005 by Roobar

[BlackJack]

Doesn't Thailand give government sponsored medical assitance to HIV Sufferers ?  If a country like South Africa can provide such assistance, surely Thailand can, and does.

More suppositions, figaro?? Didn't you get slammed around enough on the last thread when you did the same?

Ok, here is your homework. Before further postings, research for just a few moments and find the definitive answer to your supposition.

When you have it, post it here and then you'll be allowed to join the discussion.

When you just throw out remarks without any basis in fact... you lower the conversation to unbearably low levels.

Now go off and find the answer...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I wasn't asking for, or wanting, a response from the likes of you, as I don't consider you and your kind, to be capable of spewing out anything remotely intelligible / intelligent.

Now, can anybody consider the number of child sex related offences in Thailand

over the past year and explain why Europeans / Australians, appear to outnumber

other nationalities in such activities?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

well you are wrong again as the Thai's are the worst culprits for child sex

however they are rarely prosecuted and the "incident" is worked out amongst the families

there is then a big gap between Thai numbers and farang

considering over 20 million people visit per year the numbers are very low

maybe other nationalities are smarter too and cough up the money to get a get out of jail free card!!!

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Where's the quoted stats for 20 million PLUS ?

[meadish_sweetball]

For Figaro:

1. Because many Western European countries, as well as Australia have cops and volunteers in place in Thailand, focusing exclusively on finding and trying to get child-sex offenders convicted. This is a fact. I don't know to what extent other nations have people like this in place.

2. From the news I get and the information I get from my Thai friends, they do not outnumber the indigenous underage sex crimes. 'Appear' is a key word here. Where do you get this information from? What news sources do you read? Do you even live in Thailand?

3. As in the West, most rapes and sexual abuse of children occur within the family itself, or are committed by offenders known to the child (such as friends of parents or elder siblings, teachers, caretakers, etc.). The child will be very confused when an adult who it is taught it should respect and/or love does these things, but in many cases will be too scared to let anyone know.

Thais are very much living with the philosophy of 'not washing one's dirty laundry in public', and not to do anything that may cause the family name to come into bad reputation. The same thing applies to how you speak of your nation in front of foreigners, you should have noticed this if you spent any considerable amount of time in Thailand.

[kat]

Now, can anybody  consider the number of child sex related offences in Thailand

over the past year and explain why Europeans / Australians, appear to outnumber

other nationalities in such activities?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This has already been explained on another thread, but you fail to consider the facts. You don't care to know or want to learn facts, because you'd much rather sit up on a high-horse and shoot your mouth off about how pedophilia is a farang disease. You cannot deal with a problem until you can face it in its totality. Your denial is therefore a major aspect of the child sexual abuse problem in Asia.

I'm going to post some articles and links (if I can still find the links them). For those who don't want to bother skip ahead.

I don't know why I bother, Some news items and links:

Posted on Sun, Mar. 07, 2004

Advocates Rescue Thai Women, Children from Violence, Exploitation

By Chompoo Trakullertsathien, Bangkok Post, Thailand Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Mar. 7 - It was supposed to be Natnaree Luangmoi's big day.

As she stood in anticipation, waiting to receive an award for being one of the "Outstanding Women" of her district, she was slapped in the face by three people.

Why?

For almost a decade, Natnaree has been at the forefront of the fight against sexual abuse in her community in Phan district, Chiang Rai province. She has been supporting victims through her Centre for Girls, and the attitudes of those who struck her at the awards ceremony that day are the kind she is working so hard to change. They were all relatives of a rapist, disgruntled by Natnaree's efforts to bring him to book for the heinous crime he committed against a young girl.

"They got angry when they learned I took the girl to the police station. I just couldn't believe what happened to me," Natnaree recalled.

She said an average of one girl aged 10-15 is raped every month in tambon Mae Or. Sadly, most of the wrongdoers -- often family members, friends, influential figures or policemen -- are acquitted when the cases reach court.

Some girls are raped repeatedly and get pregnant. Others are plunged into deep depression, many fleeing from their homes, never to return again. Worse still, many enter the sex trade and end up with HIV/Aids.

Since 1997, the Centre for Girls, located in the heart of the community in Phan district, has offered these tormented individuals refuge and respite.

"Before the centre was set up I saw tears running down the face of one girl after another. Lost and lonely, they told me they were hurt badly and they didn't know who they could turn to. They asked for help but I didn't know how to rescue them. When they left, I felt great pain," Natnaree said.

The centre not only provides help for the victims -- who have endured domestic violence, sexual harassment, rape, unwanted pregnancy and forced prostitution -- but it also seeks to educate them about their rights.

"These women were abused both mentally and physically but no one cared," said the 30-year-old. "I just kept asking myself what I could do to ease their agony. I'd reached an impasse."

But opportunity was to knock on Natnaree's door. The Foundation for Women was recruiting volunteers to work on youngsters' problems. Natnaree jumped at the chance, passing all the exams and sailing through the interviews.

"I was so happy to hear the results. It was a great opportunity for me to help. I knew there were obstacles ahead but I was determined. I wouldn't let this chance drift away," she said.

She was sent to a five-day YMCA workshop in Chiang Rai to learn about children's rights and how to deal with victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse, HIV/Aids and the flesh trade. She backed this up with visits to children's rights organisations to learn more.

"The workshop exposed me to the outside world," Natnaree said. "Everything was new to me. I gained a wealth of knowledge which I wanted to use to improve the situation in my community. After sharing my experience with other youngsters, we decided to launch our first educational campaign."

Natnaree and five volunteers from tambon Mae Or held a one-day workshop called Krongkarn Puea Nong Pong Kan Ton Aeng (the Project for Girls to Protect Themselves) where 70 girls took part. The workshop taught them how to look after themselves, especially from procurement agents who tried to lure village girls into the sex trade.

She also ran an educational campaign in nine schools every weekend, targeting students in Prathom 5 and Prathom 6 -- the most vulnerable group.

"Many girls didn't have a chance to pursue their secondary education," she said. "They had to quit school and take care of their families. Some worked in restaurants, clubs and bars while others entered the sex industry. Many became infected with HIV.

"It's a vicious circle. I don't want to see girls in my village get this deadly disease," said Natnaree.

The project lasted about three years but Natnaree realised that despite her efforts, the problems would not completely disappear. She helped set up the Centre for Girls, with financial support from the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), to try to promote educational activities for vulnerable girls.

"With the centre, we could seek advice or urgent help from other NGOs (Non Governmental Organisations) working on similar projects. Some problems were solved but the root causes were not eradicated. I still hear stories of girls sexually abused by their relatives or friends, so we need to work harder in a more substantial way," she said.

Natnaree pressed ahead, establishing local networks and recruiting volunteers to keep an eye on the girls. She visited 10 schools -- nine elementary and one secondary -- recruiting 10 representatives from each to attend training courses on children's rights and helping those in trouble.

"After the centre's inauguration, cases of child sex abuse started flooding in," Natnaree said. "In one case, seven girls were sexually harassed by their teacher. I didn't know what to do so I called the Foundation for Women and some veteran social workers were dispatched to my centre. They interviewed the girls, and I came along too, to learn how to work in the field," she said.

The most difficult task is dealing with rape cases.

"It takes me several hours to reach the victims since some live in the remote areas of the district. I have to collect information from all sides. Sometimes, I trust my gut feeling to make decisions for the girls. I don't always have to ask what they need."

Like many, she says, she learns from her own mistakes.

"I accompanied the girls who were raped by their teacher in a protest at their school because the teacher refused to take any responsibility for what happened. I shouldn't have let them do it because it embarrassed them. It had a negative impact on some, whose behaviour began to change as a result. It was a very important lesson for me," she said.

In 1999, she set up the Khao Ji Play Troupe consisting of 15 amateur performers to play at local markets. The aim was to deliver messages about social problems in the community. The troupe was warmly received and its members have since increased to 23.

This was followed a year later by a project to recruit community leaders from each of the district's villages to work as volunteers for victims to call when they need help. Then, in 2003, the Soon Auea Ar-thorn Puea Dek Lae Satree (Centre for Children and Women) was established in tambon Doi Ngarm of Phan district.

"Currently, I have three groups working with me -- the young volunteers, the Khao Ji Play Troupe and the community leaders. They're all there so children with problems are free to contact them. The volunteers then report to me and the children get help."

But there is a downside to her work. Influential, "dark" figures suffer as a result of Natnaree's projects, so threatening calls and harsh words are part and parcel of her daily life.

"My life is shrouded in dark influence," she said. "Some of the wrongdoers are political figures, others have underworld connections. My life has been in danger."

No more so than when Natnaree handled the case of a four-year-old girl who was raped by a policeman. The following morning, she received a phone call telling her to collect a package from a delivery company. She forgot to go, and called the company a few days later. She discovered no package ever existed.

"What could have happened to me on that day had I gone there?" she mused.

The intimidation doesn't stop there.

"Once, someone told me he would rape every girl in my centre," she said. "I can't quit now as there are so many children who need help. I report every case I handle to the police. If something bad happens to me, they'll have clues to investigate," she said.

Natnaree admits she pays a high price for trying to safeguard others. Being slapped in the face in public at her awards ceremony was a prime example. There are many others, she said.

"In 1999, I rescued a 17-year-old girl who was raped by a relative of a provincial authority official. The girl wanted to press charges and I told police the rapist had influential relatives.

"A leading newspaper ran the story, revealing my name. I felt upset about the media's irresponsibility," said Natnaree.

Backed by other NGOs, police were dispatched to her village to prevent attacks on Natnaree or her colleagues. A special forum was held at Ban Mae Or Wittayakhom School to make the public know the Centre for Girls wasn't working alone, and that it was backed by organisations like the Foundation for Women and Unicef.

"When there's a new case a new situation arises, but I'm ready for what will happen. I chose this path. I won't save myself and let the children get hurt," said Natnaree.

A large factor in dealing with abused children is the law. To learn about the legal system, Natnaree joined Chiang Mai University's Women Study Group. She also attends a workshop with the Mekong River Basin Centre to learn about the laws protecting women and children -- one of the many courses and workshops she has attended to become a social worker and psychiatrist.

Currently, her tasks include dealing with cases, visiting homes, conducting interviews and accompanying girls to court as well as working with the police.

"Villagers count on me but I want them to stand on their own two feet. They should recognise the problems and join forces together to settle them. I plan to launch a new scheme so the members of the community can stand up and protect their own children.

"Our law has many loopholes. It states police can arrest a rapist only when he is caught on the act. I don't understand who the law will protect -- the victim or the culprit?

"If I want to make a case, I have to get a warrant from the court. By this time, the offender has fled," she said.

But that doesn't discourage Natnaree, who is no stranger to obstacles.

"For over a decade, I've seen that all kinds of people can harm children, even their own parents, their teacher, police -- the people who are supposed to protect them.

"Where can they find safety in their lives? They can trust nobody. This means I have to work harder to help to save these children."

-----

ฉ 2004, Bangkok Post, Thailand. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

___________________________________________________________________

Another item: 2001 Feb.

Rescuing Children from Abusers: Appealing to the Heart of a Society By Kris Herbst www.changemakers.net/journal/01february/herbst.cfm

Two years ago, Montri Sinthawichai's efforts to help children in Thailand who are abused or sexually exploited made him vulnerable to threats from the abusers, some of whom wielded political clout. Threats were an everyday occurrence as he pressed for legal action against "high-ranking government officials, even policemen, monks, and teachers who are powerful," he said. "They have friends. So each year I created more and more enemies."

Montri Sinthawichai with some of the children he has helped

Undeterred, Montri continued his work, helping to rescue children from brothels and abusers, and waging a nationwide media campaign to promote children's rights. He is a pioneer in advocating a sense of public responsibility for children, and improved social services for families. In 1993, he created the Child Protection Foundation, Thailand's first community-based organization that shelters abused children and helps their families, including abusive parents, address the root causes of abuse.

Today, Montri has fewer threats to worry about because he was elected to the Thai Senate last March. "The nature of Thai people is to be afraid of high-ranking officials," Montri said. "They don't care what you do, but they care who you are."

Asking a Colleague to Resign

Unfortunately, this attitude contributes to tolerance of child abuse in Thailand, and is the subject of headlines concerning a national scandal that erupted last month: the first deputy speaker of the Thai Senate, who was just one step away from holding the most powerful post in Thailand's bureaucracy, has been arrested for having sex at a motel with four junior high school girls, aged 13 to 16.

In the wake of the charges, 64-year-old Chalerm Promlert resigned his post on Jan. 23. But Chalerm is retaining his Senate seat, and critics charge that he is refusing to relinquish it so that he can use his political power to avoid punishment.

Fellow lawmaker Chalerm should resign from the Senate to avoid using his position to shield himself from the charges, Montri told the Bangkok Post, adding that he should be "treated as an ordinary person, not someone of high status . . . . I'm worried the legal process will stall because the accused is powerful and may use influence to have the charge against him dropped."

The current scandal illustrates one of the reasons sexual exploitation and abuse of children often go unpunished in Thailand: the perpetrators and their allies resort to threats, intimidation and social stigma to silence their victims and scare off their accusers. It has been alleged that a 17-year-old, who is said to have procured the young girls for Senator Chalerm, was told by the director of her high school not to testify to police.

"Another case in which I have been involved illustrates this issue," Montri said. "There was a male teacher who abused boys between the ages of 11 and 12, and we learned later that 17 children altogether had been abused by this particular teacher. The villagers, community members, and the principal of the school knew about this thing – they all knew, but they kept their mouths shut. When we got involved and tried to review the situation, that teacher was supported, and helped to run away, by other teachers."

Safe Haven for the Alleged Victims

To protect the girls – who have admitted to having sex with Senator Chalerm – from intimidation, their parents have decided to remove them from school and place them under the care of the Child Protection Foundation, which Montri directs. He lives with his wife and 11-year-old son at the Foundation's home for abused children, where he is a father-figure to some 100 children who find refuge and help there.

Through the Foundation, Montri has built a network of concerned citizens, police officers, public officials from the national Department of Social Welfare, community leaders, and doctors, who can respond to individual cases of children in trouble, as well as the larger issues that affect society as a whole.

He has established a training program for police officers to develop the proper skill and attitude needed to work with child abuse cases. And he has gotten the government to establish a special agency that set up a "hotline" and special postal box for reporting child abuse.

Montri said he is gratified to see Thai lawmakers beginning to create a legal framework that effectively protects children. "Even though the problem is still serious, Thai society is more aware of it," he said in a recent interview.

Nevertheless, the problem of child abuse in Thailand shows no sign of abating. The Center for the Protection of Children's Rights reported a 50 percent increase in reports of child sexual abuse in Thailand last year. The child sex trade is growing, with child prostitutes accounting for 40 percent of sex workers, according to Chanpen Chuprapawan, a researcher with the Health System Research Institute.

Senator Wanlop Tangkhananurak told the Bangkok Post last month that crimes and violence against children in Thailand increased last year, forcing more children to runaway from home. "The cases range from physical assault to sexual abuse," he said. "And the nature of such crimes is getting more violent, like rape and murder."

Confronting Cultural & Economic Roots of Child Abuse

A number of factors exacerbate these problems. An affluent parent who is suspected of abuse can resort to bribes and political pressure, so that the whistle blower is far more likely than the abuser to end up in jail. Children often are viewed as their parents' possessions, and there is a cultural taboo against intervening in private family matters.

Some believe that a child who suffers is paying for sins he or she committed in a past life. And some men believe that sex with very young women or children rejuventes them, increases their virility, and allows them to have safe, unprotected sex.

Montri, now 42, began studying the causes of child abuse after receiving a B.A. in education and taking a teaching job at an exclusive private school. The school was located near temporary settlements for migrant construction workers where he observed tragic neglect and abuse among their children.

Montri noticed that, although most families want the best for their children, parents struggling to survive by working two or three jobs sometimes left their children unattended. The children were vulnerable to sex and drugs.

"I saw the difference between the richer kids and the poor kids, because the school that I was teaching at was a school for rich kids," Montri said. "That is why I formed a group of friends – my former classmates – to work and get close to the kids who were abused runaways and would hang out at one of the public parks."

Montri now collaborates with other organizations to study the abuse affecting children in a variety of situations, such as those living in urban slums or who have immigrated into Thailand from neighboring countries and have been locked up by the Division of Immigration. But, as someone who grew up in the countryside, he is particularly interested in how the economic forces that encourage migration from rural areas to cities are a key contributor to the problems of child abuse in Thailand.

Families often split apart when a father moves to the city to better support his family. Or when an entire family moves to a city, parents work several jobs to survive and may be exploited by employers. It may be difficult for them to earn enough to support an urban lifestyle that creates pressure to consume more goods and services.

These stresses and separations can destabilize families, creating broken homes and unwanted children, and depriving children of normal relations with their parents. Sometimes children are forced to work as laborers or prostitutes to help support themselves and their families.

The Grim Reality

Frustrated and ashamed, parents may become depressed or seek solace in drugs, alcohol, or gambling. Some patronize prostitutes, some of which are children. Some turn on their children, committing mental, physical or sexual abuse, and sometimes even slavery and murder.

"I was shocked," Montri said. "Repeatedly – over and over again, shocked. Even now, to see the things that happen to children. From when I started my work to the present day, I hear, I see, and I learn about things that should not have happened to children in Thai society, or anywhere else in the world."

"Many times, I have had to go to the hospital to visit a child or children who were sexually abused by either a stepfather, male relative, or their biological father. When one particular child was the victim of incest, the mother was there – right there at the scene."

An Abuse of Trust

From April to October, 1997 the Child Protection Foundation responded to urgent requests for help in 35 cases of child sexual abuse, 26 cases of serious injury to children, and 11 cases of children's rights being violated. In all but 17 percent of these cases, the abuser was a relative or person of authority who should have been protecting the child:

24% relative

14% parents

11% stepfather

11% stranger

8% father

8% monk 7% policeman

4% stepparents

4% teacher

3% employer

6% other

"In rural areas, the situation is even worse. Once I visited a child who was sexually abused by a public official, and she was only three years old. Her mother was a farmer and she didn't know what to do. She was not confident that she was able to do anything about it."

Montri tells the story of a girl who came to live at his Foundation home – a case that particularly bothers him: "There was a girl who was seven years old. She was suffering ongoing sexual abuse by eight adults, and one of them was a policeman. She actually tried to tell adults about what was happening to her, but nobody listened, and some of them took advantage of her – continuing to abuse her. I learned later that the mother took part by receiving money from those people."

Montri's files contain records of cases that further illustrate the horrors of child abuse In another case, Montri reported a situation to the police department, and encouraged them to come investigate "a place where there was a guy who tried to persuade boys with family problems to run away from home, and set up a kind of a brothel for sexual business. (He was taking) advantage of children who already have family problems and abusing them.

"And it was shocking when I learned that most of the clients were high-ranking government officials, some were even monks, and some were businessmen. So I viewed this as an example of a society where a lot of people are exploiting the disadvantaged children."

"I have been trying to tell the public that society must respect the rights of children. If these children's rights are violated, then you don't have to think about rights for the whole society – they won't be there."

Finding a Safe Exit

Today, Montri's position as Senator gives him more influence, and it confers a protective aura of visibility. Two years ago, he was little known, and more vulnerable.

He discussed this vulnerability in an interview in November 1998, noting that people he identified as abusers could become dangerous, especially when they had a position of status in society. "Some high-ranked monks have money and power," he said. "They fear that they will lose their benefits, so they threaten to attack me. These people that I named, the monks, are very dangerous to mess with at this point in time. Previously it was the police."

"This job is extremely difficult," he continued. "Sometimes I feel it's contradictory – you really have to feel, or care for the children, but on the other hand you really have to have your mind set so you can get out of a situation."

Montri learned to be wary when he noticed that strangers were following him. To this day, he said, he doesn't know how he always managed to escape without harm. "Maybe it could be superstitious, but I really don't know. Sometimes I liked to do things like change the route that I traveled. Many times I felt like, 'Uh-oh, here's a dead end, it's hard to get out of it.' But later we found an exit.

"So, I keep telling my staff that you really have to use your mind. Concentrate on what you're doing and you can always find the exit – the way to solve a problem; as long as you have the dedication to work for children to try to solve the problem. We have a small number of people around, and we are not powerful, but we have determination."

The Thai government has passed legal reforms that strengthen protections for children

Disturbing Trends

Montri says that the Thai government has responded to pressure for reforms by doing a better job of protecting children, especially in coordinating and supporting enforcement and treatment efforts, and providing follow-up help to children. But serious problems remain today, and some disturbing new trends are appearing.

These include increased sexual harassment by children, especially older children abusing younger children, Montri said. "Children and family have been neglected. You can see that the victims in the past, the former victims, are now becoming the abusers themselves."

"Second, more children are resorting to violence to solve their problems," he said.

Third, the number of girls who turn to prostitution voluntarily is increasing, as they pursue quick money to support a luxurious life-style. "There are children who spend a lot of time hanging out with friends and using luxurious, fashionable things," he said. "They go out with their friends and are persuaded to earn money by having sex with men so that they can afford their favorite things. I think this will continue to be a serious problem."

Male children who have been prostitutes require the most time and treatment for recovery because "they are spoiled by the money they make," Montri said. "It's hard to pull them away. Some don't feel like they're being rescued – they have a big stake in consumerist society."

When the government responds, the Department of Social Welfare's treatment centers are not able to provide adequate services to children, Montri said. They are staffed by poorly paid government workers who are ill-equipped and not motivated to take on the challenging task of working with families.

The government is putting "too many children in a house – they are really packed in there," he said. "It is better if they can live in a house without so many children. And they should be treated as a family. There should be specialists close to them, and each child's case should be treated individually. It is impossible to treat them all in the same way."

The Foundation's home for children and its headquarters is a three-story house that fills an eighth of an acre plot in the Thongland subdistrict of Bangkok. Montri has trained the staff members and many volunteers who work there to create a warm, safe atmosphere that is as much like a traditional family as possible, with children and adults living together and sharing chores.

In contrast, the government homes have "so many rules, everything is so formal," he said. "Children there lose their opportunity to be touched, to appreciate the home environment. So they don't have an opportunity to learn, to become a role model, to know themselves, to know what it is to be loved and to be cared for."

Creating a Home

At the Foundation home, Montri is known as "Por Yoon" (Daddy Yoon) and his wife is Mae Wel ("Mommy Wel"). "The family environment makes the children feel we are their friends, we are their parents, and it will heal up their pains and their fear," he said. "The children will feel that they are also members of the family who are able to have good experiences in place of sad memories of the past."

"It is significant that we don't treat them as if they are patients," he added. "We treat them as if they are normal. The way we live closely together and treat them makes them feel warm and cared for. We don't have a room for a social worker or psychologist – I'm making a home for the children."

Montri grew up in a fairly prosperous fishing family that owned five boats and had several employees. "I'm lucky," he said. "I was born in a rural area, far away from town, and grew up in a family where family members lived together and loved each other. It was an extended family where there were a lot of brothers and sisters and relatives. I had great role models. My father was a fisherman, so he stayed in the village and we lived in the same family and worked together. So I think this is the way it should go. Children should live with their parents, the adults – learn to live together.

"I have always said to those people who criticize me, 'Well, it's not only my family that is living this way. In the past, almost all families of farmers, gardeners, and fishermen lived the same way I do right now.'"

At the front of the ground floor of the Foundation home, a large, open court fills with dozens of children who gather in knots, chattering, playing games, and doing chores. The children are trusted, Montri said, there is no enclosure or locks to keep them inside – they can come and go anytime with permission.

12-year-old Panudit, a resident of the Foundation home (left) created this peaceful picture of two monks with two temple boys receiving alms in the morning. Panudit says about himself: " I have a sister and a brother. I am the second child. When I have free time, I like to play football. I want to be on the national football team."

During an afternoon and evening visit, a reporter was astonished by the absence of tears, squabbles or distress. The mood was light and the children took evident delight in the abundance of playmates, with older children helping to guide and nurture the younger kids.

Montri said the staff uses generosity of spirit and non-verbal communication to calm down children with behavioral problems. The older children are trained to provide basic care for the younger children. The land, architectural design, and construction for the home were funded by Thai organizations and supporters. Funding from international sources helped furnish the house. On the first day they moved into the home, in January 1997, one of the children remarked, "I'm so excited I don't want to go to bed."

The Road to Recovery

The home receives referrals from community organizations and the Royal Thai Police. The first step in intervention is a household visit to determine the validity of the charges and discuss the abuse problem in a non-threatening manner. Usually, after much discussion and effort, the parents agree to have the child temporarily removed to the Foundation home, where the parents and relatives are encouraged to visit.

On arrival, children are provided with medical and psychological care. They continue school and lead normal lives with their peers. The Foundation maintains close relationships with the schools attended by the children, and teachers keep in touch to discuss each child's behavior, problems and progress. The children are slowly immersed in a voluntary but busy schedule of classes, sports, arts, singing, games, camping, Waldorf education, yoga, group dynamics and chores with the other children in the home.

The Foundation staff and volunteers spend extensive time with families in order to determine the root cause of the abuse problem and to devise a remedy. Unemployed parents who show a genuine interest in rebuilding their families are given counseling and help in finding jobs.

In the happiest cases, parents visit the home regularly, find jobs and progress toward recovery, and teachers report significant improvement in the child, who is placed back with the family. The Foundation continues to monitor the family if it lives nearby, or through its extensive network of associated organizations and more than 1,000 volunteers. The child knows he or she can always return to the Foundation home if the abuse begins again.

In other cases, a child may remain in the home or be released to other relatives where the same monitoring and outreach activities occur. In some cases, the child is taken into homes of those close to the Foundation who provide a family atmosphere while the child goes to school. The situation is monitored closely and the child comes to visit the Foundation regularly.

Today there are about 60 children between the ages of 3 and 16 living at the home (most of them elementary school age), and about another 50 under the Foundation's care at boarding schools. About 70 percent of the children eventually recover and return to their families. The remaining 30 percent either are completely rejected by their families, or do not want to return home, and many of them remain at the Foundation home.

Although Montri has a demanding schedule as a Senator, he said, "In general, nothing much has changed. I work for the children, and it is a part of my job, too."

"I am frequently asked a question by my friends and peers: 'Don't you feel the pressure – aren't you tense – when you're working with abused children?' I must admit that sometimes it is stressful, and painful to encounter these kinds of situations. But when you live with children, you feel that they are charming, and the charm makes you happy. I'm happy being with them in a place like this, rather than working with them like when I was a teacher at school. So it's hard for me to be away from them. I have been invited out of the country to participate in seminars, whatever. Sometimes I feel like I never want to leave – I just don't want to go."

Edited August 30, 2005 by kat

[kat]

More articles, so skip it or tell me to stop if you don't want it. Figaro, this is required reading for you

BBC 21 January 2003:

Social customs 'hide child sex abuse'

Prostitution among underage boys in South Asia is 'rife'

Socially accepted practices are being used to hide the sexual abuse of children in various parts of the world, according to a new report from an international advocacy group.

Girls are bought, through payment of a dowry, to provide sexual pleasure... and are then abandoned

Carmen Madrinan, ECPAT executive director

The Bangkok-based international child protection campaign group, ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes) reserves its harshest criticism for forced marriages of adolescents and children.

It says such marriage contracts can be found all over the Middle East and South Asia and are a cloak for child abuse.

BBC correspondent Stephen Cviic says international non-governmental organisations often tread a fine line in promoting a progressive view, and the strong criticism in this report may well be unpalatable to people in developing countries.

The ECPAT notes that in Iran the legal age for marriage is 13, which means that older men can have sex with young girls.

The girls are essentially "bought, through payment of a dowry, to provide sexual pleasure... and are then abandoned," says Carmen Madrinan, the executive director of ECPAT International.

And Egyptian children are often given to wealthy older men for a few weeks or months under legal short-term marriage contracts, it says.

Boy prostitution

The report also describes the problem of prostitution among underage boys in South Asia, which is never discussed openly because of religious and sexual taboos.

In Pakistan, it says, the use of boys as homosexual prostitutes for older men is virtually tolerated, but the boys themselves are unable to seek help from the police because they are seen as outcasts.

"It's a phenomenon that was hidden for a long time, and then we found that it's everywhere, but nobody really mentioned it," said Chitraporn Vanasapongse, who wrote the report.

The report describes other traditional practices which encourage abuse.

In Nigeria, it says, people traffickers often use traditional religion to cast spells which make their victims feel trapped and afraid.

And in Latin America, the use of children as domestic servants can also involve an assumption that such youngsters are sexually available to their employers.

Internet use

Ms Madrinan said that while quantifying commercial sexual exploitation of children is very difficult, there has been an increase in the number of arrests and international operations in the last few years and that images of abused children are more widely available on the internet.

"There is no better measurement of the growth of the exploitation of children than that," she said.

"It's one of the ways that enables us to quantify [the problem]."

____________________________________________________________________

1999 Bangkok Post:

Facing the difficult truth

Even with the most glaring evidence against them, many foreign paedophiles have escaped standing trial. But one organisation is working to tighten Thai laws in this area and ensure child victims get justice

Ukrit Kungsawanich

In February 1993, a police squad, tipped off by a Western informer, stormed into room 552 of a Pattaya hotel to find a 14-year-old boy lying half-naked next to a 66-year-old Swede-a retired civil servant named Bengt Bolin.

In spite of the evidence, Bolin was granted bail by a Chon Buri court. He managed to get a new passport, jumped bail, and returned home.

Following much publicity in his home country, Bolin was called to trial in 1995.

The Swedish court requested the victim to testify-a near impossible task since the youngster was a vagrant and moved about. The order to appear in court was being made two years after the incident.

Thanks to the studious work of Face-the Coalition to Fight Against Child Exploitation-the teenager was eventually located and chaperoned to Sweden. His testimony helped seal the case against Bolin who was found guilty. He was sentenced to three months in jail and ordered to pay the victim 150,000 baht compensation.

The Bolin case was a first. It was the first time a sexually-abused minor had testified in person in a foreign court.

It was also for Face, the small organisation founded by two Thais in April 1995, to monitor and follow up cases of foreign paedophiles in Thailand.

Face was born out of the concern of social worker Sudarat Sereewat and lawyer Wanchai Roujanavong.

After conducting research on child prostitution at the end of 1987, Ms Sudarat received a grant to form Ecpat-a campaign aimed at fighting child prostitution in Asian tourism.

Working from the legal side, Ecpat continues to strive to encourage governments around the world to amend or pass laws to deal with this international issue of paedophilia and child prostitution.

"Ecpat works hard, but it is not in their remit to follow up on cases of arrested paedophiles," said Ms Sudarat, secretary-general of Face.

Recognising this gap, she left Ecpat and with help from prosecutor Mr Wanchai, set up Face.

"According to my research, more than 5,000 foreigners visit Thailand each year to have sex with children, both boys and girls," said Ms Sudarat.

"Even though there is more public awareness about this issue now, many of these people get away with the crime," she added.

While Face is committed to working to strengthen local laws to protect the rights of children, it also actively monitors the progress of cases.

Ms Sudarat said: "People ask us why we only focus on foreign paedophiles since there are Thai paedophiles, too.

"The reason is, because these tourists, mainly Japanese, are willing to pay a lot to have sex with virgin children. Some Japanese will pay as high as 20,000 baht."

Such willingness to pay, which far eclipses what local paedophiles will pay, provides a high incentive for pimps to lure or force more children into the business.

Face also works to raise public awareness and change attitudes towards child exploitation and commercial sex.

Many Thai people, she said, seem somewhat apathetic about the issue.

"When the case of Bolin broke in Sweden, his face was on the front page of almost every newspaper there the very next day," said Ms Sudarat. In addition, a Danish TV crew even made a documentary film entitled Pattaya Room 552.

"Here, though, people paid scant attention to the news. Only one newspaper in Thailand reported the story-and it appeared as a small item on an inside page. This shows Thai people are apathetic about this problem," she said.

The attitude, said Ms Sudarat, was well illustrated by comments from a Thai official involved in the trial of Bolin. "This man told me I shouldn't be furious that Bolin got away [from Thai legal action]. He said, 'Unlike a girl, the boy has nothing to lose, also he got paid for it'," Ms Sudarat said.

She said, Face also lobbies for improved legal procedures so the process at court level is more efficient and effective.

... Despite its successes, Face remains realistic in its goals.

"To totally end child prostitution in Asia may be impossible since we are fighting against such powerful forces like traditional beliefs, and money," said Ms Sudarat.

Edited August 30, 2005 by kat

[kat]

I'm done with posting articles after this one. Figaro, I hope you have something substantive to say after reading - if you bother to inform yourself.

From a thread on Thai visa newsclippings of the same name:

COURT VERDICT: Ex-abbot gets 150 yrs for rapes

Famous monk abused young hilltribe girls

NAKHON PHATHOM: -- After a nine-year trial, the former abbot of Wat Samphran in Nakhon Pathom province was sentenced to 150 years in jail yesterday for raping nine underage hilltribe girls while he was in the monkhood.

Chamlong Konsue, 55, better known by his monastic name Bhavana Buddho, was convicted by the Bangkok Criminal Court of raping the nine underage girls, who were participants in the monk's project to adopt hilltribe children from Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son provinces.

Once a popular monk with a large following, Chamlong was disrobed when the sexual offences came to light in a major scandal in 1995. During the long-running legal prosecution, he was granted bail and continued to live at Wat Samphran.

Despite the 150-year sentence, Chamlong, who appeared in court throughout the trial wearing a brown robe similar to those worn by certain Thai monks, would "only" have to serve 50 years because of Thai legal limits - if he lives that long.

Seven nuns at Wat Samphran were accused of procuring the children for Chamlong between 1988 and 1995.

Six of the women were convicted and received jail terms ranging from three to 20 years, while the other woman's case was dropped.

After the trial, Chamlong and the six convicted women said they planned to appeal and requested bail, presenting title deeds for land in Nakhon Pathom's Sam Phran and Bang Len districts worth Bt22 million. The court forwarded the bail request to an appeals court.

Chamlong is being held in prison pending a decision on the bail request.

Chamlong was arrested in 1995 after several of the raped girls' parents complained to police. The trial took nine years due to the large number of accused and the numerous requests for postponements by both the defence and prosecution.

Like Chamlong, the seven accused former nuns were granted bail and lived at Wat Samphran over the nine years.

Before his fall from grace, Chamlong was widely revered among Thai people. Stickers with pictures of Bhavana Buddho were popular among taxi and truck drivers, who believed the stickers protected them from accidents.

--The Nation 2004-06-22

___________________________________________________________________

UN/ESCAP 2001/2 interviewed 10,000 children in the Sub-mekong region, and found that 30-50% suffered child sexual abuse by people in their families and communities. By all accounts, the incidence of child sexual abuse is increasing.

The reporting of rape and sexual violence in Thailand is very low, with a 1 in 36 report rate.

Edited August 30, 2005 by kat

[kat]

Is EVERYONE rendered speechless, or what???

Where IS Fiagaro now, and what does he/she have to say?

[BlackJack]

hey lighten up

just educate the guy

dont crucify him

[BlackJack]

Where's the quoted stats for 20 million PLUS ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

PM TOXINS stats or is he wishfully thinking - besides your comment misses the point -

[kat]

hey lighten up

just educate the guy

dont crucify him

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I like that outlook - the person makes repetitive baseless comments about foreign peds, and I'm the one crucifying

[sriracha john]

Is EVERYONE rendered speechless, or what???

Where IS Fiagaro now, and what does he/she have to say?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's ok, Kat...

We've all given up on Figaro... I did after the last thread, which my, and others as well, posts in this thread reflect.

He's not here and doesn't know what's what. Worse, he's unwilling to attempt to improve himself through education. You can see by his childish remarks earlier that he has a lot to improve on in the maturity department.

Best to ignore or make a recommendation for moderation.

Your efforts were NOT wasted. I read your posted articles and thank you for going through the trouble to do so. They were quite informative.

Thank you also to Meadish Sweetball, whose comments reflect a temperant of tolerance that I normally possess, but which seem to escape me in Figaro's case.

I started in a light-hearted way on the way to improve his postings on the last thread... and then gave up uncharacteristically early.

This thread on this topic HAS been somewhat of a milestone in both the length of time it's been open as well as the number of postings that have been made prior to it being closed. That is due in large part to the high proportion of educated and rational comments. Thanks to TV members who have done so.

Edited August 31, 2005 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

hey lighten up

just educate the guy

dont crucify him

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I like that outlook - the person makes repetitive baseless comments about foreign peds, and I'm the one crucifying

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No... I think what Blackjack really meant was not to send him to the library without a hall pass.

I think he realizes now that Figaro is simply a teenage-like, errant student who doesn't see the benefits of education and rebels against the established order of sanity.

You were his homeroom teacher giving him an assignment to do some reading in the library, but you forgot to give him hall pass.

I believe Blackjack realizes now that Figaro doesn't WANT to become educated.

[Lifelover]

Great contribution Kat. Thanks.

[girlx]

the other reason is because they believe everything adults do is right... so if an adult is screwing around with them, instead of feeling that it is the adult that is wrong, they think there is something wrong with themself. also, how can you tattle on an adult? it's too scary for a child. thus education and resources for children are imperative. none of this hush hush crap will save anyone.

[girlx]

oops i was replying to a post from way back... guess i didn't notice there was more to the thread...

[DisainaM]

so, whats on, with

http://www.jonas-christy.com/

and the cult of child molesting.

when I read

If you go into a record store in LOS and ask for a Luktung or Morlam CD the chances are you will have Jonas Anderson or Christy Gibson pointed out to you as being a falang yourself the Thai assistant for some reason thinks this is what you will like. This pair have been singing about three or four years and have a couple of CD's out each. Jonas is Swedish and Christy Anglo Dutch. Now there is nothing wrong with falangs having a bash at singing Thai country songs or bragging about how much charity work they do, but I think these two have a very unpleasant side to them.

They grew up in LOS in a Children of God commune now called 'The Family'. If you don't know what that is they are a wacky Jesus cult who until the 1990's publicly advocated sex with children and unswerving loyalty to the leaders who style themselves king and queen. Christy admitted in an interview with the Bangkok Post two years ago that the charity work is undertaken for the family and that part of the profits of the recordings (usually 15%) goes towards the cult. If you want to give money to kiddie abusers (they claim to have given this up) here's your chance but I won't be buying any more of their material. Also, the way I have seen Christy behave on stage when the cameras are not on her, rules her out as Luktung. Sadly the Thai's seem taken in by these two missionaries.

http://board.nanaplaza.com/info/library/ar...Entry=music.php

and futher about the cult,

children reached "adulthood" at 12

http://www.movingon.org/thefamily.asp

are the still molesting in Thailand ?

[sunreader]

Don't children get married in India at very young ages? Isn't the age of consent 14 in one US state?

Society creates its own norms and values and as such its own crimes.

Human morality is surprisingly maleable.

http://www.avert.org/aofconsent.htm

[girlx]

marriage between two people on the same level is quite different from child rape. and 14 is much different from age 4 or 8- prepubescence. children get really screwed up when they are forced into sexual relationships at those ages.

[DisainaM]

In 1989, when the UN children-right-convention was established,

there was a consens, that the childhood last till the age of 18.

The convention was signed by nearly all the UN member states.

[DisainaM]

marriage  between two people on the same level is quite different from child rape.

Whats about Non-Consensual Sex in Marriage.

Does it make a difference, if someone is being raped ?

[dr_Pat_Pong]

That'd depend on what country it happened in.

[girlx]

rape is rape isn't it? what's your point exactly?

[the scouser]

That'd depend on what country it happened in.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

rape is rape isn't it? what's your point exactly?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's a legal point. Not all countries recognise non-consensual sex within marriage as being rape. For instance, it was only relatively recently that a man in the UK could be prosecuted for raping his wife. Prior to that there was no offence.

Scouse.