This FAQ has been compiled from questions asked by researchers and journalists. The answers have been given by staff, volunteers and Sompop.

What's the difference between DEP and DEPDC?
What is DEPDC and what is its mission?
Statistics about DEPDC children and staff.
Who funds DEPDC?
Why did DEP extend its care to boys in 1998?
Who contacts DEPDC about children at-risk, how are children referred?
How are children removed from their family situation?
Are families, whose children come to DEPDC, compensated for lost income from income the child might have been earning?
Is there any cross-border co-operation?
Why isn't the government involved in DEPDC / Why doesn't the government stop trafficking and prostitution?  
What happens when all the girls in Mae Sai have been saved?
What other NGOs are there in Mae Sai / Northern Thailand?
Why aren't Thai people more interested in the work of DEPDC?
What is the percentage of girls from Chiang Rai province to end up in prostitution or child labour?
Are the villages and city officials co-operating?  
Are the children safe at DEPDC?
Is DEPDC doing any joint programs with other NGOs?
Why does DEPDC have so many different programs?
Are the children taught about prostitution, child labour and child rights in DEPDC?
Can the parents visit their children? / Can children visit their parents during holidays?
What occupation do the parents have?
Is DEPDC helping the children find work when they leave DEPDC?
Is DEPDC involved in adoption?
Why does DEPDC also help trafficked people (that is not prevention)?
Will DEPDC give up DEP and switch to helping the victims?
Do major International funders provide enough funds to NGOs?
Do major International funders communicate/co-ordinate with the NGO's they support?
Is there any duplication of work?
Is there a follow-up of the kids after they return home from DEP?

What is human trafficking?
Are there any accurate statistics on Trafficking?
Who can / Who is likely to be trafficked?
Is human trafficking only an Asian issue?
Is trafficking really a problem in Mae Sai?
If human trafficking is illegal, how does it continue to persist?

What is the difference between DEP and DEPDC?
DEP or Daughters Education Programme was the intial incarnation of the organisation you see today. Conceived in 1989 by Sompop Jantraka when he realised he could prevent vulnerable girls being forced into the sex industry by funding their education, DEP has worked tirelessly towards that end. However, during the course of time DEP expanded its projects and roles in the community to such an extent it was no longer appropriate to call it DEP. In 1992 DEP became one of the many projects that a larger, umbrella organisation was involved in, DEPDC - Development and Education Programme for Daughters and Communities.

What is DEPDC and what is its mission?
DEPDC is a community-based organisation offering education and full-time accommodation for children to prevent them from being trafficked into the sex industry or other exploitative child-labour situations, emergency shelter for abused or abandoned children as well as care and repatriation for girls who have left commercial sex work. DEPDC is a Non Government Organisation.

Statistics about DEPDC children and staff.
See the DEPDC in Detail Adobe Acrobat document for the most recent statistics.

Who funds DEPDC?
See the DEPDC in Detail Adobe Acrobat document for the most recent list of funders.

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 a good reflection of the extent of boys in crisis in this area, a problem I could not turn a blind eye to.

Who contacts DEPDC about children at-risk, how are children referred?
In 2000 a sample 149 students found that, 65 Children were referred by their school teacher, 60 by DEPDC staff, 7 referred themselves, one was referred by another organisation and 16 by other concerned individuals. See a simlar question in the CPR section of this FAQ.

Also:
Case Selection 2003
Following the graduation of the final year students of DEPDC, the task arose for staff to allocate the next set of places to children in the area. The new case selection process aims not only to select the children who are to receive assistance, but also to gather information on the children in the area and their related problems. The main target group consists of girls and boys aged 7-18 years, orphaned and abandoned children and those who are believed to be at-risk of trafficking.
In total, 635 children were surveyed within the DEPDC catchment area. This is not easy as this includes not only Mae Sai district, but also Doi Luang and ten districts in the Chiang Rai Province. Over the space of three weeks, the team coordinated and conducted visits to gather information. Through the work they aimed to develop relationships and create a network between village leaders and their communities. They hoped to be able to categorize the children according to their problems and use this information to decide whether and which kinds of assistance could be offered. Factors studied included education, health, drug addiction and family problems.

Information collected reflected that 470 of the surveyed children had problems with their citizenship and did not have legal identities, therefore excluding them from state education and health care. Twenty eight of the cases were addicted to drugs such as amphetamines and sixty four were HIV positive. The information gathered will be used to paint a general picture of the problems affecting children in the local area.

The DEPDC team spent four days going through all information collected in order to effectively allocate available assistance.
Thirty five places were made available for DEP education and full-time accommodation and two placements for vocational training. Forty children received educational funding, sixty two cases were subsequently followed up, and twenty were transferred to other organisations.

In May the new children moved into DEPDC. There was a welcome ceremony  and lots of tears. Now, several months on, everyone has settled in and staff are following up on cases.

How are children removed from their family situation?
DEPDC will only remove a child from their family situation if they feel that it is not safe for the child to remain at home. DEPDC recognises the best place for a child is with their family but obviously there are situations where it is of benefit for the child to be removed. If DEPDC wants to remove a child from their family and the family does not agree DEPDC/CPR staff will visit with the family several times, getting to know them and building up their trust. To support their argument staff incorporate a mix of official documentation, information on the rights of the child as per CRC (UN Convention on the Rights of the Child), on HIV/AIDS, brothel conditions, laws and penalties for trafficking. If they feel they need further support to convince the parents they will involve respected individuals in the discussions such as monks, village heads, teachers and the police who bring the law and the court into the situation. Also, in many successful cases the decision of the child to continue their education overrides the parents' desire for monetary gain.

Are families, whose children come to DEPDC, compensated for lost income from income the child might have been earning?
In the past DEPDC has been able to provide some of the parents with short term vocational training, but at this time there is no budget for this service. CPR Coordinator, Ms Kempetch answers: " I think the situation would be a little different to that of the slum children (in Bangkok) who on most days would need to go out begging to supplement the family income. DEPDC does not actually work with beggars or street children. In the 1990's we ran a program for street children and child laborers funded by ILO/IPEC but as of last year there are now two other projects in Mae Sai that target street children. Most of the children referred to CPR and DEPDC are living in abusive situations and/or extreme poverty and/or are orphans; they do not necessarily have to work to support their families, though of course each case is different. Many of the children at DEPDC travel home for the long summer holidays where they help their parents in the fields, in food shops or doing odd jobs such as tending to animals or cleaning". Sompop would like to add "You should not accept parents who will consume drugs, gamble, drink or conduct other kinds of activity using the money that has come from their children's 'blood and tears'.

Is there any cross-border co-operation?
Yes, work with the MRICRH (Half Way Home) in Mae Salong, and the, Mekong Youth Net Project involves working with Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and Government Organisations (GOs) in Laos, Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam and China.

Why isn't the government involved in DEPDC / Why doesn't the government stop trafficking and prostitution?
The Thai government has signed and ratified various MOU's (Memorandum of Understanding), UN conventions and has passed laws on the suppression of prostitution. But in reality, with problems such as lack of founding at both low level and high level government corruption there is very little action on the ground.

The following extract is from a Presentation by Mr Ben Svasti, Director, TRAFCORD ( Co ordination Centre Anti-Trafficking Operations Northern Thailand) given at the International Conference "21st Century Slavery: The Human Rights Dimension to Trafficking in Human Beings", Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, Italy, May 2002.

"Thailand has:The Prostitution Prevention and Suppression Act (1996) which brought in stiffer penalties for customers seeking services of children and parents who sold children.

The Measures in Prevention and Suppression of Trafficking in Women and Children Act (1997) made it clear that rescued women and children were to be treated as victims and not as criminals.

The Penal Code Amendment Act (1999) extended jurisdiction to victims irrespective of nationality and national location of crime as well as bringing in heavier penalties for child prostitution.

The Amendment to Criminal Procedures Act (1999) brought in new Child Interview Procedures and the The Memorandum of Understanding On Common Guidelines of Practices among Concerned Agencies for Operation in Case Women and Children are Victims of Human Trafficking (1999) finalized working procedures for government and non government organisations to coordinate and co operate in providing assistance to victims of human trafficking.

Once we had the required laws in place in Thailand we turned towards setting up Mulit-Disciplinary Teams to combat trafficking primarily composed of police, public prosecutors and social workers. Detailed working protocols were formulated and distributed to all units. Joint rescue missions for victims of trafficking are now taking place.

Needless to say much more still needs to be done but we are confident that we are making decisive in roads in combating trafficking inn Thailand. However we will never be able to solve it completely without the full co operation of neighboring countries."

What happens when all the girls in Mae Sai have been saved?
DEPDC reaches only 10 % of those in need. If all the girls in Mae Sai were saved, the traffickers and agents would take more girls from Burma, Laos, China and Vietnam. Even now DEPDC has heard of one case of a girl from as far away as Bangladesh ending up in Mae Sai.

What other NGOs are there in Mae Sai/Northern Thailand?
There are many, many NGO's in Northern Thailand, too many to list here. Please see our Links section.

Why aren't Thai people more interested in the work of DEPDC?
Thai people are interested in DEPDC once they learn about the project they want to help. They are very concerned about the situation once it has been explained to them and they are very generous with donations. DEPDC does not conduct any PR campaigns to the Thai public. In 2002 The Thai Farmers Bank ran a fundraising campaign that raised 50 million baht in one month from its customers, of which DEPDC received a very generous 7 million baht.

What is the percentage of girls from Chiang Rai province to end up in prostitution or child labour?
There are no accurate figures on the scale of trafficking, each major NGO has a different figure.
See below the UNESCO Trafficking Statistics Project, also see the UN Inter-Agency Project Newsletter, Fourth Quarter 2002, Issue 9, Page 3, Opinion Piece, "Putting Two and Two Together - What's Wrong with the Numbers" by Phil Marshall, Former UNIAP Manager.

Are the villages and city officials co-operating?
On an individual basis, yes, they are.

Are the children safe at DEPDC?
Yes, they are.

Is DEPDC doing any joint programs with other NGOs?
Yes, the BCPR section is actually a net work of NGO's, GO's and other organizations.

Why does DEPDC have so many different programs?
Sompop is responding to the needs of the area.

Are the children taught about prostitution, child labour and child rights in DEPDC?
Yes, they are, through camps every holiday they learn about Child Rights, HIV/AIDS, drugs and other important issues.

Can the parents visit their children? Can children visit their parents during holidays?
Yes.

What occupation do the parents have?
In the 2000 Report on the first 10 years of DEPDC 74 families were surveyed and it was found that 38 families were farmers working on their own land, 11 were farmers working on rented and 25 were labourers.

Is DEPDC helping the children find work when they leave DEPDC?
Options provided at DEPDC include staying at DEPDC to work combined with study either at non-formal education to complete high school, a degree in Commuity Development at the Rajapat Institute in Chiang Rai or vocational training. Staff members and former daughters informally assist students to find work.

In the 2000 Report on the first ten years of DEPDC 328 former daughters were surveyed and it was found 38% found work in the private sector (restaurants, shops, factories, hotels), 28% continued education, 16% returned home to assist their families, 10% were unemployed, 2% were in employment related to sewing, 2% were in employment related to sex work, and 4% had other forms of employment.

Is DEPDC involved in adoption?
DEPDC does not organize adoption. If you are in America you may like to refer to the website of World Association for Children and Parents, or search for a similar organisation in your country.

Why does DEPDC also help trafficked people (that is not prevention)?
While working here in northern Thailand and learning more about the problems and needs of the area, DEPDC has seen a great need to help those who have already been trafficked, exploited, and abused. Therefore, DEPDC has established a center to assist those who in crisis situations, this includes those who have been trafficked, abused, abandoned, etc. So, the answer is simple. DEPDC helps trafficked people because the need is there. As we learn more and more about the systems that take advantage of the vulnerable populations, we feel that we also have a duty to step up and take action.

Will DEPDC give up DEP and switch to helping the victims?
No, DEPDC remains dedicated to the education and prevention program they started 14 years ago. During these past years, DEPDC has been able to change many young lives and still believes that this is the core of the program. The DEPDC program has developed into a more comprehensive program now working to prevent exploitation and care for victims.

Do major International funders provide enough funds to NGOs?
A Volunteer answers: This is a little general to answer. Of course every not for profit could always do with more money to fund existing programs and realise their dream projects. One weakness in the DEPDC funding situation is that they rely on ad hoc project funding with only the occasional project from UNICEF (The Youth Leadership Training Program 1994-1998), ILO IPEC (1994-1998) and Co operaid, NGO in Switzerland (Patak School and Vocational Training 1997 to the present) providing multi year funding. Other than that the funding is for one off projects eg. the Canadian Embassy funding the construction of the Girls Dormitory.

The other issue is that DEPDC will apply for funding but it will be up to a year before that funding is realised and they actually have the cash in the bank and accessible. It is therefore a challenge for NGO's to design a system that provides them with an ongoing guaranteed income either through an endowment or income generating schemes.

Sompop adds: Most funding agencies have a lot of projects to support so the money they give out is divided into small amounts to support many projects. Funding Agencies try to measure and evaluate which projects to determine which are the most effective and thus which projects they should support. Sometimes DEPDC receives enough money to do a project but there is always the problem of administrative costs. Funders will only allow 20% of a budget for administration but in reality it is usually 40% for admin, electricity, water, transport, daily needs etc etc

Do major International funders communicate/co-ordinate with the NGO's they support?
A Volunteer answers: I would assume every International Organisation has a mandate to co ordinate with the groups/NGO's in their target groups. For example ILO IPEC have consulted many NGO's including DEPDC in formulating the "Framework for action to combat trafficking in children for labour exploitation in the Mekong sub-region". The UNIAP has a researcher visiting all of the grass roots NGO's working in the area of anti trafficking programs (2002). The Asia Foundation recently held a seminar to consult with the NGOs in their anti trafficking program on the creation of a curriculum for teaching people (including law enforcement) about the issues associated with trafficking and next year they plan to hold training seminars on an accountancy program QuickBooks for the NGo's they fund.

Sompop answers: Many times international funders make visits to DEPDC to visit with staff, parents, children and village leaders. They also recommend other interested parties visit DEPDC to learn about their work. Reports generated by funders attract the attention of journalists which in turn attracts the attention of others - this communication and promotion by funders acts like an umbrella for us - giving us credit and trust of other individuals - in this way we are communicating and co ordinating with the funders. Also International Organisations do not just give money but also volunteers (Australian Volunteers International have sent 4 long term volunteers and KEPA in Finland have sent 8 short term vols), technical assistance, training for staff and children, internships etc etc

Is there any duplication of work?
Sompop Answers: Yes but it is not always a problem, it depends on the nature of the program and the target group. For example there is a great demand for Vocational Training so if more than one NGO is running these programs then that is ok. But maybe for example if more that one NGO were to run a 24 hour Childline (Hotline) there would be an unnecessary duplication of services leading to confusion.

Any problems encountered while working with international organisations (such as ILO, UNIAP)?
Sompop answers: Money from funders always has its terms and limitations. Often when waiting for approval for funding or in turn waiting for the money to come through once funding is approved is hard to understand for staff and children because the local offices of international agencies are always saying they are waiting for word from Geneva, New York or Washington and it is hard to explain to staff and children that it is because of internal structures and policies that we do not have the funding yet.

Is there a follow-up of the kids after they return home from DEP?
Sometimes, depending on staff and financial resources.

What is human trafficking?
Where states are concerned the recently produced UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially women and Children, supplementing the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, adopted by the General Assembly in November 2000, contains the first -ever internationally agreed upon definition of trafficking.

“’Trafficking in persons’ shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs”

For more information on, and a critique of, the Trafficking Protocol see "IV - The UN Trafficking Protocol and its Limitations", which is on page 9 of the GAATW (Global Alliance Against Trafficking) mission statement.

For a good explanation of the differences between Human Trafficking and People Smuggling please see the article by Melanie Adams in UNODC's newsletter, Eastern Horizons, No. 14.

Are there any accurate statistics on Trafficking?
There are no accurate figures on the scale of trafficking, each major NGO has a different figure.

See the UN Inter-Agency Project Newsletter, Fourth Quarter 2002, Issue 9, Page 3, Opinion Piece, "Putting Two and Two Together - What's Wrong with the Numbers" by Phil Marshall, Former UNIAP Manager.

There is a very interesting report on the attempt to clarify the figures on prostitution and trafficking in Cambodia - “Measuring the Number of Trafficked Women and Children in Cambodia: A Direct Observation Field Study”, Part -III of a Series, October 2003, Thomas M. Steinfatt, Professor of Communication, University of Miami, Fulbright Scholar, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Sponsored by USAID. This full report is available from: Sambo Sek - sasek@usaid.gov

The UNESCO TRAFFICKING STATISTICS PROJECT: a new tool for policy-makers and organizations working on human trafficking issues.

At present, trafficking policies are made and justified on the basis of unverified and often highly suspect statistics. The problem is further exacerbated by the lack of any central clearinghouse for statistical data, easily accessed and allowing comparisons between sources.

The UNESCO TRAFFICKING STATISTICS PROJECT is now a first step toward clarifying what we know, what we think we know, and what we don't know about trafficking. It is mainly displaying information on human trafficking and related issues in Asia, with a particular focus on the Mekong Sub-region.

As part of its mandate to strengthen research, the UNESCO TRAFFICKING STATISTICS PROJECT has developed the first database focusing on trafficking numbers. It has been conducting an on-going literature review since 2001 and collecting reports and information from various sources (GO, NGO, UN agencies, press, universities). At present, over 400 documents (reports, articles, webpages) have been studied. Statistical data are disaggregated in 5 criteria allowing a multiple-query search: "country of origin", "country of destination", "category of people", "type of abuse", "publication". Information on related issues, such as migration, violence, sex work and other forms of abuse have also been integrated in the database. The project is attempting to trace the source of each statistic whenever possible, ascertain the methodology by which these numbers were calculated, and evaluate their validity. The aim is to clarify the bases on which estimates of the numbers of trafficked persons are derived, and to separate trafficking myths from trafficking realities. The pilot database is accessible through the UNESCO Bangkok website.

At this stage, the UNESCO TRAFFICKING STATISTICS project is focusing mainly on Asia, and more specifically in the Mekong Sub Region.

This project is part of the UNESCO Trafficking Project coordinated by Dr. David Feingold.
Office of the Regional Advisor for Culture in Asia and the Pacific UNESCO Bangkok Office 5th Floor Darakarn Building, 920 Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok 10110 Thailand Telephone +66 (0) 2 391 0577 ext. 503 Fax +66 (0) 2 391 0866
Email: trafficking@unescobkk.org
Website: <http://www.unescobkk.org/culture/trafficking/>

Who can / Who is likely to be trafficked?
DEPDC has determined the top 11 factors that put children at risk of trafficking are:

1. Children who have been abandoned are homeless or orphaned.
2. Children of Migrants and Ethnic minorities without papers and/or Thai citizenship.
   
3. Children about to complete primary school or those expelled from school or who not interested in continuing education.
   
4. An older sister or other relative is already involved in prostitution.
   
5. The girl's parents have separated or divorced (one or both parents have remarried).
   
6. One or both of the girl's parents are dead and she is living with relatives or friends.
   
7. One or both parents are drug addicts, alcoholics or compulsive gamblers.
   
8. The family is living in a village where there is an established tradition of children entering the sex industry.
   
9. The family is living in extreme poverty e.g. they are landless and depend on erratic casual work for their income and/or are in debt to the bank or moneylenders.
   
10. The child is ill, mentally or physically challenged or addicted to drugs.
    
11. The child is living in an abusive situation.

• Government Organisations
  
• Family Members
  
• Police
  
• Concerned Individuals
  
• Other NGO's
  
• DEPDC Staff
  
• Client referred themselves
  
• Teachers
  
• Local hospitals