Protection and security

for traumatised street children

Teerakarn Chaokoraj, named Em, born in 2003, spent the first years of his life with his grandmother. After her death, his life took a dramatic turn. He had to live with his mother in Pattaya, in a ruin along with other homeless people. He was surrounded by criminals, drug addicts and spent the nights with his mother begging. Fortunately, in 2008 a social worker of the child protection program became aware of the poor state of Em. After persuading his mother, he managed to bring Em into the program. At first it was very hard for Em. He knew nothing about a structured and sheltered life with rules. However, with the time he has turned out to be an avid student, has made a lot of friends and dreams of becoming a craftsman later.

Background

It is estimated that there are about 20 to 25,000 homeless children on the streets of Thailand. About 2,000 alone live in the tourist center of Pattaya in the East Central Thailand, which holds a dubious reputation for being the city of child prostitution. Many of these children are trafficked from border countries such as Laos or Cambodia or come in the hope of a better life out of the desperately poor, rural areas in Northeast Thailand. In Pattaya and the surrounding areas, street children are faced with situations that no child should experience.

The good deed

Through today’s good deed street children in Pattaya get offered a clean and safe place to sleep. Our partner organization provides the children with mattresses, blankets, pillows and mosquito nets, which have to be changed frequently, especially in the emergency center. Furthermore, support is also needed to bring the children to the center in the first place, through the child protection programme. The programme consistsof the following three elements: 1. Outreach work: trained staff contacts street children and provides information on hazards, human trafficking, drugs, crime and abuse. 2. Drop-In: staff takes on temporarily affected children, gives them a safe place to sleep, food, counselling and assistance. 3. Protection center: if a children want to stay in the program, they can obtain a permanent place in the child protection center, outside the city. Here children can grow up in a protected environment, get medical treatment, education and training opportunities and the chance to develop into an independent, full-fledged member of society.

Challenge

It is a long process for street kids to get off the street and lead a structured, sheltered life. Especially when they know of little more than a life on the road. Not all kids manage to endure this change. Sometimes a child disappears after some time and will not come out of its old life.