Why did DEP extend its care to boys in 1998?
Sompop answers – At this time in Thailand the role of the local temples in helping young boys in crisis is diminishing and they are taking in less and less boys. In the Chiang Rai area there is an increase in orphans due to death from AIDS related illnesses. Young boys are also being trafficked for sexual purposes and their social problems are just the same as girls; broken families, extreme poverty and abuse. According to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child all children should be treated equal regardless of gender, DEPDC cannot discriminate. When the program was started the issues of trafficking and prostitution did affect girls more than boys but now that they are in more equal numbers I feel that with all the lessons learned in the first 8 years of our operation, DEPDC could successfully turn their programs, expertise and support to boys. In the first year 1998, DEDPC received over 400 notifications of cases of boys requiring help and we were only able to select 18, this is
