"Sex tourism" and child prostitution have become
major problems in developing countries, including Thailand.
With the emergence of AIDS as a global pandemic, some who purchase
sexual services are turning to pre-teen boys and girls because
of the belief that younger children are less likely to be infected
with HIV due to their lack of sexual experience.
Young girls in some northern provinces of Thailand are at particularly
great risk because their families are extremely poor, caused by
drought, debts and consumerism. Although children are generally
treasured by their own parents, economic realities in certain
provinces in Thailand make the large sums offered by sex trade
brokers very tempting to families that often are unable to feed,
clothe, and school their children.
Nowadays, in almost every village in some areas, there are brokers
who lend money out on contract. If parents have taken money in
exchange for their daughter and she runs away, the broker will
threaten to sue them. Some girls, therefore, show their gratitude
to parents by accepting this occupation. The girl herself receives
nothing, but a life of misery and degradation.
The Bangkok YMCA Foundation has realized
the importance of raising awareness of the communities on social
and environmental realities so as to develop the lives of at-risk
girls, their families, and their villages. It is clear that moral
support for child protection and educational programs for at-risk
girls must be combined with real economic options for the communities
and villages in which these girls live.
Thus, the Bangkok YMCA Foundation
has launched a project namely "The Quality of Life
Development Project for Children and Families in the North"
which is aimed at developing the new generation in these
communities to realize the social realities and wish to live
with human dignity as well as to raise global consciousness
in fighting against the sex trade movement.
The
Y's Men's Club of Bangkok has given support to the Quality
of Life Development Project in several areas of activities
as follow:
•
Distribution
of textbooks and shelves to the library of YMCA Community
Learning Center in Phayao Province.
•
Board
of Directors and members participated at the Opening Ceremony
of the Bangkok YMCA Foundation Community Learning Center
and Early Childhood Education Center in Phayao which was
held on November 27, 1996.
•
Valentine party
for the Women's Health Education Program in Phayao Province.
The Club raised B72,000 from the party.
•
Distribution
of primary English text books to the Hill Tribe children
attending the adult schooling program at YMCA Phayao Center.
•
Great Violin
& Piano Duo Recital at Hilton International Hotel on
March 13, 1999. The club raised Baht 103,020 for the YMCA
Phayao, "Quality of Life Development Project".
•
SMIT Project
"Growing Up, Growing Wise" on the adolescent sexual
health and gender awareness education for young women. The
project took 12 months time (May 1998-April 1999) for workshops,
camping and training programs. The financial support came
from matching grant of Bangkok club and SMIT district which
each club in SMIT district had contributed.
•
Distribution
of canned fruit and fish to the Phayao children for Christmas
celebration party.
•
Distribution
of clothes, stationaries, toys and textbooks to school children
at Nabua School, Phayao province Rotary Club of Kofu and
Yamanashi YMCA provided school supplies.
•
Fund donation
of 90,000 baht for Phayao Center to repair and maintenance
of the 4 hostile units and the kitchen.
•
ICP Udomchai
Sakulvanaporn, on behalf of the President of Bangkok Club
and the Rotary Club of Bangkok 70 helped for grant requests
of Baht 372,500 through the application of matching grants
with the Rotary Foundation (TRF) in supporting the expansion
the Food Processing Training Program in the
new village u for the year 2004.
