What is the worst crime? It doesn’t hurt to ask oneself this once in a while. Maybe you have no simple answer. I know I don’t. But let us put it this way: what are some of the worst crimes? What makes you really upset?
Crimes against children would rank high on my list. Abuse – physical, mental, sexual – abandonment, maltreatment, neglect. Just the thought of this makes me feel bad. Children are born innocent, they are dependent of adult care and support, they need love and understanding. This is the only way they can grow.
Naturally then, speaking to Teacher Tho at the Child Protection Centre is quite an upsetting experience. Tho is one of eight teachers at the Centre which houses 45 children, ages 6-18, who have all been subjected to some kind of abuse.
“Many times parents will just drop the child off and never come back”, says Tho. “Other times a mother or an aunt will bring the child and ask us to protect her from the father or some other male relative.”
The staff also do outreach work. Two or three times a week they go out in town and look for street kids, helping them where needed and building confidence. “Our aim is to bring them in”, says Tho and tells of foreigners who give food, snacks and shelter, demanding sexual favours in return. “It is very very common. Children have always run away from home, but whereas in earlier times they would live in the woods or parks and fend for themselves, now there is sex tourism and drugs, and that makes everything so much worse. Most of these kids have led very hard lives.”
Glue sniffing is a huge problem among children living on the streets. The Centre tries to break these habits by filling days with activities – for example, when not in school, they learn how to cook, grow vegetables, take care of two black pigs and many chickens. Fortunately also, the Centre is located far from everything, there just isn’t the possibility to pop out to the shop and by glue, cigarettes, alcohol or any other substance that they should not use.
The teachers live with the children in three newly built identical double storey houses with enclosed kitchens. These were finished in October 2009, funded by the German and Swiss Embassies, and when I visit in late March four more houses are being built. The teachers work 24 hours, 6 days a week, acting as parental figures and role models and continuously teaching values and necessary life skills.
The Centre was started in 2008 by Khun Jaa, who worked for many years with street kids at the Redemptorist Street Kids Centre. Unfortunately, Khun Jaa is out of town the week I am able to visit, it would have been nice to talk to him, as I am told that he had a vision of how he wanted to work with these children. When the Human Help Network in Thailand offered to fund his ideas he was able to make reality of his dream. The Child Protection Centre was born.
“We hear so many tragic stories”, says Teacher Tho. “Like the little Cambodian girl who was separated from her parents after they had all been trafficked from their country. She was forced to sell roses on the Beach and was abused in more than one way. No one knows where the parents are and soon the girl will be deported back.”
Every single child here at the Centre has a story. 45 cases of tragedy.
“Are they offered some kind of therapy or counselling if they need it?” I ask, and am told that yes, Chonburi Hospital will give them free therapy with a psychiatrist when necessary. But it does not happen often.
The question of therapy is a funny thing here in Thailand. One lady I spoke to openly said: It is not the Thai way. We prefer to be more spontaneous, more informal. Teacher Tho expresses it differently, he says that it will often scare the children to go to the hospital and meet a stranger. Thus, the staff at the Centre prefer to deal with it themselves, building confidence and giving daily support. “We do have a social worker here day and night, a person they know and can confide in. More like a friend.”
Over by the pond several children help out to collect green food for the pigs, diving in the water, raking up the wet weeds. It looks like great fun, lots of laughing, splashing, screams. Like any other kids. Far from Walking Street and the Beach.
Maybe you will see a child like them the next time you go for a swim; a child walking with a nice man who has just bought him or her a soda or an ice cream. Do you think you would be able to tell? Would you do something to help?
If you do know of a child that is abused call Khun Jaa at 081-949-9349.




