How I Raise my Voice for Humane Existence
By Jay Mijares, World Vision Thailand Communications
In border regions of Thailand, youth are working with World Vision to help migrants learn about:
· Safe migration
· How to avoid becoming victims of human trafficking
Recently, we visited a border crossing near Myanmar to see the youth in action.
Nuch, 16, looks like an average happy young person. Full of smiles in her eyes, she is a fun youth leader to be with. But behind her joy is a sad reality that has fueled a burning passion to make a stand against modern slavery that preys on the innocence of young people in the border areas of Thailand.
On this day, Nuch and the youth club gave out fliers and invited migrants to an information booth that they set up nearby to educate the labourers. They witnessed roughly a thousand people crossing back to the Myanmar side of the border. Some arrived by foot, but most were transported in canopy-covered trucks, standing shoulder-to-shoulder like packed sardines in a can.
“I played a role of a gangster leader who forced children to work and beg on the streets,” said Chan, 13. Armed with drama performances, Chan and two other groups of kids honed their acting prowess on a green patch of grass nearby – all of which revolved around the problem of child labor, sexual abuse, and prostitution among trafficked victims.
In another area, the crossing migrants started to congregate. There, Nuch and her cohorts explained the short films being shown on the screen. At one point, everybody clapped as they saw a familiar face and place on film.
“The Bridge” was produced by Nuch and the Dek-D youth club. They won third place in the Short Film Competition to End Human Trafficking, which was organised by the Thai Department of Social Development and Welfare, MTV EXIT, and World Vision. In addition to a cash prize, the Ministry of Social Welfare and Human Security also produced the winning films in DVD format and distributed to 10,000 schools, youth clubs, partner organisations and other entities all over Thailand.
“You see, most of the children in this kind of village are stateless. We don’t have a surname and nationality. We are neither Thai nor Burmese. I live as if I’m the eldest sibling of a big family of outcasts, looking after my younger siblings. My role is helping one life at a time and educating that person to find direction. I dedicate my life so that kids whom I consider my siblings may learn to say no and not be tricked (by human traffickers). We will be able to use the prize to fund our awareness youth camp. With this, I feel happy and proud,” Nuch said with confidence.
World Vision’s End Trafficking in Persons (ETIP) project was set up in the town of Sangkhlaburi in 2008 and is linked to the town of Phaya Tong Su in Myanmar. There is a diversity of races within the population: Thai, Burmese, Karen and stateless.
Economic pressures for low production cost on local and exported products make this area ripe for human trafficking between border towns. Sangkhlaburi area has become a route for both legal and illegal migrant workers entering Thailand to find work. As brokers facilitate the employment process, migrant workers fall prey as victims to human traffickers. Unscrupulous people offering jobs often prey on vulnerable people in community.
With approximately 1.3 million migrants in Thailand, many were victims of human trafficking.
Nuch revealed that the big plan of Dek-D youth club is to visit the four schools in town and find student leaders from each. “We will bring them to a camp, train them, and give them relevant information about human trafficking. We’ll show them how to pass the knowledge and skills onto their primary schools and the local villages where they live. Armed with good information, kids like us will be safer from traffickers’ clout.”
ETIP now has a network of 200 youth in six border provinces of Thailand.
“I’m glad that I’m part of this. Most children don’t have an opportunity like this. Though I have no family name (stateless), I was even able to go to the UN Centre in Bangkok. I’m so happy to have this opportunity of working with children involved in the issue of human trafficking.
Reflecting on the positive turns in her life at the moment, Nuch said, “I believe my parents are also satisfied with what I’ve achieved so far. They said that even though our daughter is not Thai, she has a meaningful job, an opportunity to take part in saving the life of another.” Her parents’ approval was icing on the cake for her as she expressed her gratefulness to World Vision.
“I like social welfare work. It is similar to the work that I’m doing right now, educating children. Engaging in further education about it is like continuing my work.” Looking ahead however, Nuch faces another challenge as a stateless child, “Because I’m a girl without a family name, I need to consider whether I can enroll in a university to become a licensed social worker or not.”
For Nuch, the possibility of going to a university is like asking for the moon. Stateless kids are not free to go anywhere in the country without a Thai chaperon and legal permits. Their own town does education available beyond secondary level.
Nuch and many other high school kids in her village are still raising their voices for humane existence, not only for their peers’ safety against traffickers along the border, but also for their own basic right to have a name and nationality.
