Education of migrant children: Fighting child labour in Thailand
If migrant children are not in schools, they will work as illegal child labour in Thai factories helping their parents, so their education is important.
If migrant children are not in schools, they will work as illegal child labour in Thai factories helping their parents, so their education is important.
EDUCATION & MIGRANT WORKERS
Migrant children: Opportunity for education in Thailand
Thai law allows labourers' children to attend local schools
14/06/2017
Penchan Charoensuthipan
Children of migrant labourers are slowly becoming aware of the opportunity of receiving an education in Thailand.
"My life has changed. I was able to leave a construction site to learn in Thailand," said Aung Chan, a 20-year-old Myanmar man who is the son of migrant workers in Thailand.
He expressed his gratitude for the Thai education law that allows children of migrant workers to study in state schools with financial support, the same as Thai children.
CHILD OF MYANMAR WORKERS COMPLETED ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY EDUCATION IN THAILAND
Aung Chan said he initially enrolled in a preparatory course provided by the Labour Rights Promotion Network (LPN), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that assists migrant workers in Thailand.
Then he completed his elementary school education at Wat Bang Ya Praek School.
He later finished his secondary school education outside of government schools.
"I have a better life than my parents as I don't have to toil at a construction site," he said.
Aung Chan works today as a maintenance worker at a condominium and a clerical officer at a construction company.
AWARENESS OF RIGHT TO EDUCATION ONLY INCREASING SLOWLY
He said most migrant workers' children his age did not have the opportunity to pursue an education, including many in the local fishery industry.
"I visited my school to attend the annual wai kru ceremony. The number of migrant children there has increased recently because of the government's policy," said Aung Chan.
Not many migrant workers are aware of their right to send their children to Thai schools so they don't take advantage of it, he said.
THAI NGO HELPING MIGRANT CHILDREN GET AN EDUCATION
LPN is working to educate and encourage migrant workers to send their children to school.
The NGO LPN is also working on such a campaign to prevent child labour.
This is according to Sompong Srakaew, director of LPN, speaking during a seminar on child labour in the Thai fishery industry to mark World Day Against Child Labour on Monday.
LPN numbers show that 2,564 migrant children have been rescued from the fishery industry in Samut Sakhon, Samut Prakan, Ratchaburi, Rayong and Trat over the past decade.
In 2015, 37 migrant children forced into labour were rescued from a shrimp processing factory in Samut Sakhon.
Of that number, 18 were aged under 18.
A number of them have enrolled in informal education systems with help from LPN and related state and private agencies.
GOVT FOCUS ON COMBATTING CHILD LABOUR
Mr Sompong said the Thai government is focused on child labour, passing a law banning children under 18 from working in fisheries.
A cabinet resolution in 2005 states every child in Thailand has the right to receive a secondary school level education, said Surapong Kongchantuk, an activist and lawyer.
Mr Sompong said crackdowns on child labour have mostly centred on large-scale fisheries in Samut Sakhon and Songkhla that export their products.
IF CHILDREN ARE NOT IN SCHOOLS, LIKELY TO BE IN FACTORIES HELPING THEIR FAMILIES
The problem cannot be solved if suppression only targets large businesses because child labour exists in eastern provinces too such as Rayong and Trat where Cambodian children work on primary seafood processing to help their families, he said.
A number of Cambodian children work in fisheries in Trat, Chanthaburi, Rayong, Chon Buri and Samut Prakan, but the parents do not hold documents confirming their identity and nationality, which are required for school enrolment, according to Dawan Khonthong, coordinator of Stopping Exploitation through Accessible Services.
The Labour Ministry reports 22,807 migrants under 18 from Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia were registered last year.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1267919/more-migrant-children-able-to-hit-the-books
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