Education is the key! DEPDC applies prevention as the pathway and education, protection and development; as the preventive tools. These components are viewed as the most effective approach in reducing the vulnerability of girls and boys from entering prostitution or other sex-labour situations. It is widely acknowledged that measures to prevent a child from entering prostitution rather than channeling resources entirely into rehabilitation is preferable both to the individual and to society as a whole. Prevention is more cost-efficient and has a considerably higher success rate for each child involved than efforts to rehabilitate a child who has already experienced life as a prostitute. Prevention is through education by using strategies of seminars, research, workshops, massive awareness campaigns at community and local government levels on the issues of human trafficking and the rights of the child. The Sub-Components are

• Child youth and child participation
• Networking and collaboration with all government and non-government sectors
• Case-studies and lessons learnt, documentation, information and field research
• Outreach to the marginalised groups, namely indigenous people and migrants
• Community based activities to gain public support
• Sustaining social programmes for returning victims re-integration back into society

DEPDC offers education opportunities for children who would otherwise receive none;  a safe-shelter and full-time accommodation to at-risk women and children in order to prevent them from being trafficked into the sex industry or other exploitative child-labour situations and reaches out at community level to raise awareness of human trafficking.  DEPDC strongly believes in the importance of providing an education as the key to opening a range of opportunities in life for young people, beginning of course with a positive primary school experience. Evidence shows that the longer a girl or boy stays in school, the greater the probability that they will stay out of the sex trade. Receiving an education is viewed as one of the best strategies to reduce the vulnerability of girls and boys.

While physically located in school children are unable to work. Furthermore, school attendance limits the hours of work and defines the character and the conditions of employment that children can undertake. As important is the fact that it allows them to build a social network. Educated girls and boys are much less likely to be duped by human traffickers. Statistics based on follow-up of the DEPDC daughters show that only 2 % of the children have later entered the sex industry. Most of the children are ethnic hill tribe minorities originally from Myanmar or China.

Once the students finish the programme at DEPDC, various options are given to them for future plans. Options provided include staying at DEPDC to work combined with study either at non-formal education to complete high school, a degree in Community Development in Chiang Rai or Vocational Training. At DEPDC education does not only refer to formal education but also to the development of life skills for the development of the whole child. DEPDC also offers loans to students who wish to continue to study at higher levels. While studying they are able to work at DEPDC to pay off the loans.

DEPDC works closely with teachers, monks, police, concerned individuals and community and village leaders to identify girls at risk. However, complicity in the trade by families and village members produces a major stumbling block as they often stand to gain much by selling their daughters. Unfortunately, many other adults in similar positions are often involved in debt bondage arrangements, linking families with brothel agents and benefiting financially from the sale. Our staff incorporate a mix of official documentation, persuasion and an argument based on the basic rights of children to convince parents not to sell their daughters. They persuade them to reconsider their options for the child and educate the parents about the perils of the sex industry. Information about HIV/AIDS, brothel conditions, laws, penalties and other potential dangers support their argument. In many successful cases the decision of the child to continue their education overrides the parents' desire for monetary gain.

The continuous objectives for DEPDC are:

• To remain on the prevention side of the trafficking problem in the Mekong area
• To prevent children from being forced into the sex industry or child labour
• Support educational opportunities for disadvantaged children and children from poor and broken homes
• Give the at-risk children of Northern Thailand and neighbouring countries, living at border areas, an opportunity to live in a safe place
• Give the children an opportunity for life development and life skills training to prevent them from being forced into the sex industry due to economic hardship, poverty, and lack of citizenship and legal nationality, education and employment opportunities
• Strengthen families and communities by working on community development, for example, through adult training and empowering children with self-esteem and self-sufficiency

Read about the Activities we engage in to implement our strategy...