Prevent Child Trafficking Through Education

Mr. Ngao didn’t set out to work in human trafficking prevention. But when he saw children begging near the Myanmar border, everything began to change.

Without intervention, these unaccompanied children were vulnerable to being trafficked or exploited. He wanted to protect them before they were taken to bigger cities like Bangkok or Chiang Mai. So he left his design career in the city and moved to rural Thailand.

Starting small, he taught art to children in the village and listened to their dreams of attending school. In response, he founded Baan Nana, a shelter and alternative school that has provided care for more than 28 years.

But trafficking is a complex, growing problem—child victims worldwide have tripled in the past 15 years (UNODC). And in high-risk areas like this one, most people don’t recognize the dangers until it’s too late. Even with decades of work, Mr. Ngao and his staff required further expertise to effectively prevent trafficking.

That’s where The Freedom Story’s Prevention Partners program comes in. Thanks to people like you, we are able to equip local leaders—teachers, pastors and entrepreneurs—with holistic prevention tools that stop child trafficking before it happens. At Baan Nana that included teaching the staff to spot threats, reduce risk factors, and help children exercise their rights.

For Baan Nana’s 80 students, this means they are now trained to warn, support, and protect one another. For Mr. Ngao, it means his many years of dedication are now strengthened by proven strategies.

Mr Ngao put it this way: 

“The older children, trained in The Freedom Story’s curriculum, are now leaders who run activities and pass on the knowledge to other children. They’re the ones keeping the younger ones safe from trafficking.”

One of those children is Yok, who received a scholarship and prevention training through The Freedom Story. Once a victim of an online scam that increased her trafficking risk, she is now a leader who shares her story to protect other kids.

“After attending the training regularly and talking to The Freedom Story seniors, my thinking changed, and I became more reasonable and more mature,” says Yok. “Mostly, I share lessons with my close friends at school, though they don’t really listen. But I tell them anyway because if one day they experience something like me, they’ll remember what I said.”

Links:

• Watch this video to see how prevention impacted Baan Nana.
• Read Yok's story on our blog.