Delegation: Thailand
Forum: Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee
The Question of: Measures to Protect and Promote the Rights of Children Living and Working on the Streets
Thailand believes that it is crucial that measures are taken to protect and promote the rights of children living and working on the streets. Thailand has recognized that 0.0002% of the street children on a global basis are from Thailand. Thailand also believes that there is an increasing amount of street children due to poverty, natural calamities and the economic crises that has had a large impact on Thailand. Thailand will now emphasize on these major issues.
First-off Homelessness, more than 60,000 children are living in the nine refugee camps along the Myanmar border of Thailand. Almost 7,400 of them are separated from their parents. Secondly, Natural calamities. Secondly, The Tsunami that took place in Thailand in 2004 killed 5,395 people which lead to1,480 children being orphaned and on the streets. This overwhelming flow also destroyed 4,806 houses, another clear example that proves the fact that children can end up on streets in such a sad manner. Thirdly, The Economic Crisis. This Crisis that took place in 1997 had a massive impact on Thailand as result of The Prime Minister back in 1997 Mr. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh who refused to devalue the thai baht. This not only halted Thailand’s booming economy but lead to the disaster of the decade. Thailand Laid off approximately 600,000 foreign workers from all the industries combined. During this period of time even the mid-class families were technically tossed into the streets. After a long span of four years Thailand recovered from the financial crisis as result of increasing tax revenues. This allowed the country to balance its budget and repay its 20.9 billion dollar debt to the IMF in 2003, four years ahead of schedule. The Thai baht continued to appreciate to 29 Baht to the Dollar in October 2010.
In the strive to reduce the amount of street children Thailand has faced many challenges and have had to take many risks such as identifying the street gangs that exploit street children in Thailand by making them work like beggars and sell miscellaneous items etc. Secondly, when things need to happen effort can’t just be put in by small initiatives but there must be effort from the children as well but in this case they aren’t obliged to have their freedom of speech therefore they suffer the most severe kinds of bad cases on the streets such as sexual abuse, drug abuse and much more.
Thankfully both the UN and us are cooperating very well. Thailand believes that it has taken large steps by initiating two major projects. Firstly, the Support for children affected by HIV/AIDS project. This highly respected initiative promotes life skills as well as resilience in children affected by AIDS in Northern Thailand. Secondly, the Education for hearing-impaired children. In this project, UNESCO work to expand opportunities for deaf children and youth in rural Thailand. Thailand believes that other measures could and should be taken to solve these issues and Emphazises on the fact that more awareness must be raised regarding important matters like this.