Grace International School https://gisthailand.
According to UNICEF, approximately one million Thai children live in vulnerable conditions. These include children who live in poverty, have lost their parents, have a disability, or are forced to live on the streets. In addition, it is estimated that around 290,000 children have been orphaned due to HIV/AIDS. Thailand also endured the horrific 2014 Boxing Day Tsunami, along with several other natural disasters over the years. These disasters have claimed thousands of lives and left thousands missing and displaced. As a result, many children were left without parents and without a home.
Unfortunately, Thailand’s orphaned and abandoned children face harsh vulnerabilities and risks, such as exploitation, sex trafficking, child labor, malnutrition, poverty, and disease.
In the northern parts of Thailand, many tribal communities exist, including the Hmong Tribe. For the Hmong people, discrimination heightens their daily struggle to survive. Because many of them do not have Thai nationality, they often cannot find work, and their children are denied a proper education. Eventually, this cycle of poverty drives many to crime. For the Hmong women, youth pregnancy, poverty, and peer pressure provide an easy gateway into prostitution. With high levels of incarceration and women being trafficked, children in these communities are often left alone and abandoned.