September 7, 1999
We care Facing the difficult truth Even with the most glaring evidence against them, many foreign paedophiles have escaped standing trial. But one organisation is working to tighten Thai laws in this area and ensure child victims get justice Ukrit Kungsawanich In February 1993, a police squad, tipped off by a Western informer, stormed into room 552 of a Pattaya hotel to find a 14-year-old boy lying half-naked next to a 66-year-old Swede-a retired civil servant named Bengt Bolin. In spite of the evidence, Bolin was granted bail by a Chon Buri court. He managed to get a new passport, jumped bail, and returned home. Following much publicity in his home country, Bolin was called to trial in 1995. The Swedish court requested the victim to testify-a near impossible task since the youngster was a vagrant and moved about. The order to appear in court was being made two years after the incident. Thanks to the studious work of Face-the Coalition to Fight Against Child Exploitation-the teenager was eventually located and chaperoned to Sweden. His testimony helped seal the case against Bolin who was found guilty. He was sentenced to three months in jail and ordered to pay the victim 150,000 baht compensation. The Bolin case was a first. It was the first time a sexually-abused minor had testified in person in a foreign court. It was also for Face, the small organisation founded by two Thais in April 1995, to monitor and follow up cases of foreign paedophiles in Thailand. Face was born out of the concern of social worker Sudarat Sereewat and lawyer Wanchai Roujanavong. After conducting research on child prostitution at the end of 1987, Ms Sudarat received a grant to form Ecpat-a campaign aimed at fighting child prostitution in Asian tourism. Working from the legal side, Ecpat continues to strive to encourage governments around the world to amend or pass laws to deal with this international issue of paedophilia and child prostitution. "Ecpat works hard, but it is not in their remit to follow up on cases of arrested paedophiles," said Ms Sudarat, secretary-general of Face. Recognising this gap, she left Ecpat and with help from prosecutor Mr Wanchai, set up Face. "According to my research, more than 5,000 foreigners visit Thailand each year to have sex with children, both boys and girls," said Ms Sudarat. "Even though there is more public awareness about this issue now, many of these people get away with the crime," she added. While Face is committed to working to strengthen local laws to protect the rights of children, it also actively monitors the progress of cases. Ms Sudarat said: "People ask us why we only focus on foreign paedophiles since there are Thai paedophiles, too. "The reason is, because these tourists, mainly Japanese, are willing to pay a lot to have sex with virgin children. Some Japanese will pay as high as 20,000 baht." Such willingness to pay, which far eclipses what local paedophiles will pay, provides a high incentive for pimps to lure or force more children into the business. Face also works to raise public awareness and change attitudes towards child exploitation and commercial sex. Many Thai people, she said, seem somewhat apathetic about the issue. "When the case of Bolin broke in Sweden, his face was on the front page of almost every newspaper there the very next day," said Ms Sudarat. In addition, a Danish TV crew even made a documentary film entitled Pattaya Room 552. "Here, though, people paid scant attention to the news. Only one newspaper in Thailand reported the story-and it appeared as a small item on an inside page. This shows Thai people are apathetic about this problem," she said. The attitude, said Ms Sudarat, was well illustrated by comments from a Thai official involved in the trial of Bolin. "This man told me I shouldn't be furious that Bolin got away [from Thai legal action]. He said, 'Unlike a girl, the boy has nothing to lose, also he got paid for it'," Ms Sudarat said. She said, Face also lobbies for improved legal procedures so the process at court level is more efficient and effective. "We want to speed up court procedure so it's more likely the alleged abuser and the victim are around so legal action can in fact take place," she said. Many youngsters involved in the flesh trade are homeless and so do not stay in one place for long. This, however, does not mean they should not enjoy the same legal protection of other children. "When arrests take place, to make the court case possible, the abused children are sent to stay in a rehabilitation centre. But these youngsters can't stand it too long, and many times they abscond from the shelter," said Ms Sudarat. The same also goes for the accused, like in the Bolin case. "If we can lessen the complications of the government paper work, we can actually retain these people in Thailand and see them brought to justice." Despite many obstacles, Face has things to celebrate. Over the last three years, the organisation had put more than 10 foreign child molesters behind the bars of local prisons. One of them was Frazer Darling, a British teacher in a Bangkok school. His involvement in molesting school boys was exposed, and with the help of Face who worked side by side with the court and police, he was sentenced to 33 years in a Thai prison. Apart from their commitment to monitoring and advocacy, Face also has a public campaign to raise awareness via education, the mass media, government agencies, and NGOs to end child prostitution in Thailand. In order to work more effectively, Face has formed a network with other organisations like Child Workers in Asia, the Centre for the Protection of Children's Rights, and the Development & Education Programme for Daughters and Communities Centre. Despite its successes, Face remains realistic in its goals. "To totally end child prostitution in Asia may be impossible since we are fighting against such powerful forces like traditional beliefs, and money," said Ms Sudarat. However, she said, society must pay greater attention to the problem of child sexual abuse for several reasons. "Youngsters who are sexually abused are much more likely to become abusers themselves-venting their frustration and anger on other children who are defenceless." With many anti-paedophile bills pending in parliament and many laws due to be amended, Face's mission is far from over. "When we can change the attitudes of the judges and get rid of corruption, our children will be protected from commercial sex operations and trafficking," said Ms Sudarat. If you would like to help Face or work in coordination with the organisation contact Face directly. Donations are also greatly appreciated. "We Care" is a weekly series honouring people who believe in giving. Apart from supporting these causes, you can also let us know about people who unselfishly help others so we can make more people aware of their efforts. Fax 'We Care' on 240-3668 or call 240-3700 ext 3208 or 3212. Email can be sent to: <sanitsuda@bangkokpost.net>. For a comprehensive list of charities covered by Outlook's 'We Care' weekly series, see the Bangkok Post Web site at http://www.bangkokpost.net/outlookwecare/ Info for donations - Name of Organisation: Coalition To Fight Against Child Exploitation - Contact Person: Sudarat Sereewat - Contact Address: P.O. Box 178, Klong Chan, Bangkok 10240 - Telephone: 509-5782, 947-7307 - Fax: 519-2794 - E-mail: face@internet.ksc.net.th - Web page: http://www.capcat.ksc.net/org/face.html		Current Issues in Thailand Bangkok Post Year-end Economic Review NEW! SEA Games news archive! Database 10 yrs Thailand Tatler Magazine Classifieds Jobs Property Entertainment Investment Education Travel Sales Learn English Weekly Database Horizons NiteOwl Student Weekly Real Time Special We Care NEW! Phudhong Foundation leper colony Back Issues Company Servcies Subscriptions Advertising Annual Report
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