Thailand has several ethnic minority people groups who live in the mountains of northern Thailand. Some of the tribes are Hmong, Akha, Karen, Yao and Lisu. These “hill tribe” people are treated as second class citizens, in much the same way as Native Americans were/are treated here in the US. The villages are very poor, in many cases there are no utilities, no stores, no schools and no hope. Because they are “hill tribe,” they do not have the proper government paperwork to obtain an education or employment. The hill tribe people face choices that include subsistence living, bartering goods like chickens, eggs or fish that may have been caught in unsanitary waters. Or they may try working in the rice fields. Despair and diseases of poverty are rampant; malnutrition, dental problems, alcoholism, drug abuse, and neglect, as well as physical and sexual abuse of children to name a few of the problems.
Just as in America, when people are desperate, the choices they make to survive are not always good. Men and women, boys and girls get caught up in drug smuggling because of the opportunity to make a substantial amount of money in a very short period of time for comparatively little effort. A frequent scenario that is played out over and over is this: a drug lord will befriend a desperate girl, asking her to perform “favors” such as carrying a package from one village to another. The girl is paid well for her efforts. However, after a period of time, the drug lord will alert the police to the girl’s drug smuggling activities and she is arrested. In the meantime, a large shipment of drugs gets through to its destination on another road. The drug lord appears as a conscientious citizen and the police get to make an arrest. Another shallow victory in the drug wars!
If that girl has any children younger than the age of three, those children will go to prison with her. The prison sentences in Thailand are very long and the prisons are crowded. The type and amount of food served is merely adequate to sustain life. There are no fresh fruits or vegetables offered at meals. Medical treatment is meager if available at all. Dental care is virtually non-existent in prison. Women are not given feminine hygiene supplies. The prisoners are dependent upon friends or family members to supplement their needs. Even if the families can get to the prisons, they may not have the means to support the incarcerated family member.
Even if that girl was not transporting drugs herself, if her husband or boyfriend was the drug runner, oftentimes the girl will be arrested, tried and convicted because she should have known about the illegal activity and reported it.
It should be pointed out that children being raised in the prison system are not unique to Thailand. Many western countries such as the United States, Great Britain, and Australia also keep mothers and children together. The belief in this practice is that by keeping mother and child together, a family bond is established and that upon the release of the mother, the bond will be re-established. The biggest difference between the penal systems in Thailand versus the western countries is the length of the prison terms. In Thailand, the lengthy prison terms are punitive and meant to be a deterrent. Many people in Thailand serve 10 years or more for infractions that would result in probation or diversion in the west.
After children reach the age of 2, they can no longer stay in the prison. If the children have relatives in the villages, they are returned to their village. Because of the poverty in the village, the children are not always welcomed, but are frequently seen as a burden. The children’s parent may have a new partner and that new partner may not want to assume responsibility for someone else’s children.
The children may be left in the care of elderly grandparents, who are old and sick and not physically capable of caring for young children. The grandparents are faced with trying to raise the children of their children. In all likelihood, the grandparents will not outlive the prison term of their son or daughter.
In the village, because the situation is so desperate, the children are frequently neglected, verbally and physically abused or worse. There are many child predators that buy and sell children for the sex trade that is rampant in Thailand. Unfortunately, the sex trade is largely subsidized by western men.
If there are no relatives available to take care of the children, they are sent to a state-run orphanage. The orphanages are large facilities where there are more children than can adequately be cared for by the staff. Family ties are broken as the orphanages do not have the means to arrange for visits to the prisons. Because there is little opportunity to form bonds and attachments to adult caregivers in an institutional setting, many children never learn to trust anyone. They develop attachment disorders, and are deprived of the chance to become independent and responsible adults.
These are the faces of children whose world has been turned upside down. How can they be future leaders of Thailand if they don't have a stable family life, access to clean water, shelter and education? Who will teach them to be responsible adults? Who will teach them right from wrong?
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