What are some of Negative effects on Thailand human resources and development due problems of Homeless children?
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Introduction
What I know
The objective of this thesis is to comprehend the “Street Children” or “homeless child” phenomenon with respect to the aspect that generally has been ignored in society. The discourses of Street Children, which are normally perceived by public, often discriminate them from ordinary children being considered innocent. The status of street children is still illegal in that they are not looked after by their own parents. Besides, from different angles, they are inclined to commit crime bringing about social annoyance and danger. Eventually, these discourses result in social treatments satiated with violence and disparagement, thereby pushing them into “the marginal” or “the wastage of society”.
I try to look for some research and I could found the research of Miss Wandee Krichanan. She mentioned about homeless child that she attempts to be acquainted with a group of Street Children in Hualumpong Area through the connection with “Better Life of Children Foundation” which has provided them help and care in the same area. In the field research, the researcher plays the role as a “teacher”. After having been familiar with them through many activities, e.g. conversation and participation in common activity for a long time. The researcher, as a result, “knows” Street Children from different point of view other than so-called discourses. The emphasis of this study is on their living conditions which correlate to an environment composed of groups of people, foundations and organizations for children. Therefore, the research tries to understand the specific context giving rise to the “community” of Street Children, and to comprehend how they define themselves, react to the surrounding “world”.
This thesis lies in the way society defines “Street Children” categorized into three dimensions. The first dimension indicates that society or public has a monopolistic authority to define “public space” for common interest of everyone expect for Street Children as they are regarded as “pollution” of space. Also, this research argues that they have their own notions represent the phenomenon that reflects disparate power relations that sometimes incur violence.
Second dimension is that “Street Children” usually have rough and aggressive behaviors resulting from never without undergoing suitable process of socialization, thereby predisposing to be juvenile delinquents. However, this research does not reject most of the definitions in this dimension, but attempts to understand particular condition that influence children to be possessed of such characters. The definition of society, from the researcher’s point of view, does not cover all aspects of “Street Children”. The participant observation of their everyday life suggests that they are not different from other children who adapt themselves to varied situations. Nevertheless, the situations, they have to confront, prone to be more diverse. Street Children, therefore, need to be aggressive in hostile surroundings, be a “good child” of their teacher, be kind to animals, and be the “pity” children on the street. Etc.
The final dimension is the society’s treatment of Street Children by providing accommodations and living necessities, which is considered to be an appropriate and humanitarian solution. This research finds out that the studied group of Street Children does not value or pay attention to any help. Many factors, for instance, their exclusion from the group by “Kha Yai” (a big man), as well as their successful adaptation to street living (according to their own definition), lead to the construction of meanings and self-esteem incompatible with living in these charity organizations or foundations.
Finally, this study may not result in any concrete suggestions for solving “Street Children”. In contrast, this study points out complicated socio-cultural dimensions underlying this problem. As a result, the solution may not be achieved by pushing them to “the marginal” or “the abnormal”, which require criteria employed to alienate them from “the normal” of the society.
1. Definition of Homeless Children
Homeless children are many children who have no voice, no power, and no hope for improvement in their lives, have no dwelling place. They are living, sleeping, eating at publics place such as Living on the streets, under bridge, place where lack people, and dirty place corner.
…………………………………………………………………………
Introduction
What I know
The objective of this thesis is to comprehend the “Street Children” or “homeless child” phenomenon with respect to the aspect that generally has been ignored in society. The discourses of Street Children, which are normally perceived by public, often discriminate them from ordinary children being considered innocent. The status of street children is still illegal in that they are not looked after by their own parents. Besides, from different angles, they are inclined to commit crime bringing about social annoyance and danger. Eventually, these discourses result in social treatments satiated with violence and disparagement, thereby pushing them into “the marginal” or “the wastage of society”.
I try to look for some research and I could found the research of Miss Wandee Krichanan. She mentioned about homeless child that she attempts to be acquainted with a group of Street Children in Hualumpong Area through the connection with “Better Life of Children Foundation” which has provided them help and care in the same area. In the field research, the researcher plays the role as a “teacher”. After having been familiar with them through many activities, e.g. conversation and participation in common activity for a long time. The researcher, as a result, “knows” Street Children from different point of view other than so-called discourses. The emphasis of this study is on their living conditions which correlate to an environment composed of groups of people, foundations and organizations for children. Therefore, the research tries to understand the specific context giving rise to the “community” of Street Children, and to comprehend how they define themselves, react to the surrounding “world”.
This thesis lies in the way society defines “Street Children” categorized into three dimensions. The first dimension indicates that society or public has a monopolistic authority to define “public space” for common interest of everyone expect for Street Children as they are regarded as “pollution” of space. Also, this research argues that they have their own notions represent the phenomenon that reflects disparate power relations that sometimes incur violence.
Second dimension is that “Street Children” usually have rough and aggressive behaviors resulting from never without undergoing suitable process of socialization, thereby predisposing to be juvenile delinquents. However, this research does not reject most of the definitions in this dimension, but attempts to understand particular condition that influence children to be possessed of such characters. The definition of society, from the researcher’s point of view, does not cover all aspects of “Street Children”. The participant observation of their everyday life suggests that they are not different from other children who adapt themselves to varied situations. Nevertheless, the situations, they have to confront, prone to be more diverse. Street Children, therefore, need to be aggressive in hostile surroundings, be a “good child” of their teacher, be kind to animals, and be the “pity” children on the street. Etc.
The final dimension is the society’s treatment of Street Children by providing accommodations and living necessities, which is considered to be an appropriate and humanitarian solution. This research finds out that the studied group of Street Children does not value or pay attention to any help. Many factors, for instance, their exclusion from the group by “Kha Yai” (a big man), as well as their successful adaptation to street living (according to their own definition), lead to the construction of meanings and self-esteem incompatible with living in these charity organizations or foundations.
Finally, this study may not result in any concrete suggestions for solving “Street Children”. In contrast, this study points out complicated socio-cultural dimensions underlying this problem. As a result, the solution may not be achieved by pushing them to “the marginal” or “the abnormal”, which require criteria employed to alienate them from “the normal” of the society.
1. Definition of Homeless Children
Homeless children are many children who have no voice, no power, and no hope for improvement in their lives, have no dwelling place. They are living, sleeping, eating at publics place such as Living on the streets, under bridge, place where lack people, and dirty place corner.
Homeless children usually come from a cold family life lacking love and care. Sometimes, their parents have died, some parents are in prison for drug abuse and some have left their impoverished mountain homes and move into the city, lured by the chance of making money. Often, these street children fall prey to child traffickers. Many of street kids in Thailand come from the region of Thailand; they are usually found begging for change or selling flowers in tourist areas. The majority of these children has no education, no nationality and is often exploited. They are at high risk for using drugs, becoming prostitutes and contracting HIV.
The support officer of homeless children has separated homeless children 4 groups following
1. The homeless children who still live with their family, but they almost spent their time on the side rode to sell flowers or newspapers etc.
2. The homeless children who separate themselves from family with willingly or they were push went out family by family. Their families were poor and they would like to reduce responsibility of family and after they went, they never come back family.
3. The homeless children who lack family. They are abandoned children or lost from parents and can’t contact each other.
4. The homeless children who homeless with their family. They always move from one place to another place to work or they are beggar and living under the bridge.
2. Background history of Homeless Children on Thailand.
A: Cause became to be Homeless Children
I am looking for information from several ways such as interview, book, research, internet etc. I found some cause which push children run away to homeless children, these are
- Cause from problem of family.
We are often asked: What is the reason they have for being homeless, especially homeless children why do they live on the streets? Also people often ask how young do you see them? Typically 13 are the age most leaves home. I've come to believe that this age has something to do with their sense of self developing to a point that they can fathom leaving their family of origin and standing on their own two feet. If a child does become homeless before the age of 15, in almost every case it is because of sexual or violent abuse. The child leaves because it is safer for them to live on the streets than to live at home. Another way we found that divorcing of parents make child become to homeless child. In present, there are many family get a problem like this. Statistics of divorcing of parents growing up in each year such as; in 1987 there are divorcing 31,068 couple, in 1990 there are divorcing 40,875 couple (increase around 31.5 %), in 1995 there are divorcing 53,560 couple. We make sure if families do not strong, we will be seeing many homeless children from families which divorce. http://boyprost.exteen.com/20060516/section100
- Cause from problem of economy.
It is estimated that in Asian alone, over 1 million children are being sexually and commercially exploited in bars, brothels and on the streets for the purpose of prostitution, trafficking for sexual purposes and pornography, (The Global Fund for Children, 2002). Thailand's growing infrastructure and integration into the world economy has helped establish the country as a major destination for sending and transiting trafficked persons. Networks traffic children and young women to many countries in Asia, Europe, America, Australia and South Africa. Rapid economic and social changes in Thailand have also resulted in the breakdown of family relations and social norms. This has placed many poor children at risk and makes them vulnerable to sexual exploitation as they migrate to the cities in search of material wealth
Most of the homeless children come from other province. They are very poor so their family can not support them what they want such as food, education, take care, etc. This many things which need for their life are effect on them and push them become to homeless children. Some family pushes children go to get money by beg from other people and back money to family.
- Cause from problem of them.
Most of the homeless children are teenagers. They are curious and they always want freedom to do what they want. They want to get new experiences. They always against with law and they want to live with group of friends. They can get happy from their friends they get respect, their friends are understand them, they can share about happy or unhappy each other, so they are more happy than live with their family.
- Cause from problem of school. Recent, from research found that another problem which made children become to homeless child was school. The children said that sometimes they were punished by teacher without reason. They were made ashamed at school. They were insulted by other people in school that they were bad students. Finally, they would like to become to bed children follow the word of other people in school and they do not want to continue study or continues stay home and they run away from family become to homeless children.
However, All of them problems, the biggest problem which push many children become to homeless child is problem of family.
B: Statistics of Homeless Children in present Thailand.
- Statistics of Homeless children in each region of Thailand. Recently, Dr. Sompong Jitradab and teams researched about homeless children to make a strategy to solve homeless children in 3 years these are between of 2006-2008. They could collect many information from questions, interviews, came to area for keep information at Bangkok, Chaigrai, Saqai, Naconratchaseema, Chonburee. They made a summary that homeless children will be growing up because cause of structure of economic and change of social. This cause made unfair in social, different of profit. Population move to big city without ready, so when they are not ready, it means they no job, no place, no money, no food and they are must living community heavy, street side, or invade public place. In Thailand, there are homeless children around 20,000 after now 3 years more in future there are increases around 30,000. All of them, government could help just only 5,000 people and now we have many homeless children are out side system. Many homeless children in each region of Thailand are moving to Bangkok. First they are in the big city each region such as homeless children in northern part, they will stay at Chaigrai came down Chaimai came down Lampang and finally move to Bangkok. The east of Thailand, there are many homeless children, they stayed between border of Thai and Combodia. They are beggar, poor, homeless, labor child. Some children were sold by another people and they were sending to big city such as Samutpakan province, and Bangkok. This method made a process to sell homeless children. The northeast, almost province, there are homeless children especially the friendship bridge of Thailand and Loa. There are many homeless children move to Udonthanee, Chongan, Ubonrattanee, and they will to gather into a group at Nachonratseema before move to Bangkok and after that move to Pattaya and they become to child sex tourism for foreigner. For example, the number of children prostitute who police arrest in square following
Month Boys prostitute Girls prostitute total
November 2547 125 55 180
December 2547 38 33 71
January 2549 51 10 61
February 2549 26 7 33
March 2549 30 20 50
April 2549 10 3 13
May 2549 9 1 10
June 2549 15 1 16
July 2549 15 17 32
August 2549 3 5 8
September 2549 - 2 2
October 2549 3 - 3
total 12 month 325 154 479
The south of Thailand, we are predicting that there are tendency homeless children in 3 province border of south will be growing up from parents died. They will move themselves to Hadyai, Songkra, and gather into a group at pukut city because this city is tour city. When we saw the background of homeless children, we knew that each of them has no the important documents such as some document can tell who homeless child is, or about education, they have no chance to study. They are acted by other people in several acts which it is bad things. Some children were bought since they were young. They were forced to work hard. They must follow a dangerous way go to big city especially go to Bangkok.
Month Boys prostitute Girls prostitute total
November 2547 125 55 180
December 2547 38 33 71
January 2549 51 10 61
February 2549 26 7 33
March 2549 30 20 50
April 2549 10 3 13
May 2549 9 1 10
June 2549 15 1 16
July 2549 15 17 32
August 2549 3 5 8
September 2549 - 2 2
October 2549 3 - 3
total 12 month 325 154 479
The south of Thailand, we are predicting that there are tendency homeless children in 3 province border of south will be growing up from parents died. They will move themselves to Hadyai, Songkra, and gather into a group at pukut city because this city is tour city. When we saw the background of homeless children, we knew that each of them has no the important documents such as some document can tell who homeless child is, or about education, they have no chance to study. They are acted by other people in several acts which it is bad things. Some children were bought since they were young. They were forced to work hard. They must follow a dangerous way go to big city especially go to Bangkok.
C: Present problems from Homeless Children
From research, we found that almost homeless children are boys more than girls. There are ages around 11-15 years. The big problems of homeless children, there are many problems following
Homeless children have no chance to study because they retried from education system before graduate or some homeless children have never ever studied. Research of Miss Rungkanda Pongtonpanit mentioned that homeless children almost half of them were only child in family because their family gave over protection to them. They have never studied about sacrifice to other people, lack responsibility, spoiled child, and lack relationship. Homeless children earn money from small job. Half of them were beggar, service sex, and other small jobs. When they have much money, they use almost money to buy addictive substance and they were easy to become addicted.
About homeless children’s personality, almost of them always lonely, small talking, serious, these children come from families which parents get high expect to them but they could not follow their parents. The second group always offensive, quarrelsome, do not relationship, steal, tell a lie, don’t like follow rule, so these children escape from families which parents were refused them. The third group, they always lively, obey, good adapt, and this group was easy to improve if one helps them.
Homeless children become to children criminal because of broken family. They were bad acted and now they were who act to other people such as kill or kill rape. http://www.elibonline.com/doctors/mental_childcrime01.html
Homeless children found their problem for them from biggest to small these are; they were arrested by police, sex violate, not enough about income, quarrel each other, society don’t accept them, and illness.
So the biggest of problem for homeless children these are; they lack education, lack profession, easy become to children criminal and bad personality.
(http://socadmin.tu.ac.th/about/teach)
3. Effects of Homeless Children to development.
Stability of country comes from strong population if there are many homeless children, do you know what it means? Dr. Sompong Jitradab said that half of homeless children come from the northeast and from other country such as Cambodia, Loa, and Burma. Now homeless children from other country are growing up very much. First they come to Thailand because structure or academic and society but now there are process of sell human, addictive substance, and sex. This reason push homeless children from other country come to Thailand. Dr. Sompong Jitradab said that border of Burma sells 100 bath/ one child. Children from Cambodia at Romgqai Aranyapatas were sold around 500-1000 bath. After that all children were brought to Samutpakan province until moved to Bangkok and living by service sex to foreigner in Pattaya.
- population- economy-
4. Analysis (Solution-Proposal)
