Help stop child prostitution – Development and Education Program for Daughters and Communities
Project Street Address
Project City
Project Province/State
Project Postal/Zip Code
Project Country
Sector Focus
Other
Year the initative began (yyyy)
1989
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Web site (url)
Which of these barriers is the primary focus of your work?
Vulnerability of targeted populations
Which of the principles is the primary focus of your work?
Please select one
If you believe some other barrier or principle should be included in the mosaic, please describe it and how it would affect the positioning of your initiative in the mosaic
Prevention and Protection through Education
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.
Name Your Project
Help stop child prostitution – Development and Education Program for Daughters and Communities
Describe Your Idea
What is your signature innovation, your new idea, in one sentence?
DEPDC is a non-profit community based NGO working in Thailand on the prevention side of the trafficking of women and children into the sex industry or other exploitative child labour situations
Describe your innovation. What makes your idea unique and different than others doing work in the field?
As well as providing free permanent shelter and education DEPDC also runs several other projects and activities aimed at the prevention of trafficking and the provision of child rights in the region; emergency shelter for abused or abandoned children, care and repatriation for girls who have left commercial sex work, education for vulnerable children and teens outside of the formal education system, youth leadership education programme to combat trafficking in the Mekong Sub-Region and vocational and human rights training for undocumented migrants and indigenous peoples.
Delivery Model: How do you implement your innovation and apply it to the challenge/problem you are addressing?
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.
How do you plan to grow your innovation?
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.
Do you have any existing partnerships, and if so, how do you create them?
DEPDC has a strong network with several NGO’s and GO’s in Thailand and the Greater Mekong Sub-region. Also, DEPDC works closely with social workers, psychologists, lawyers, police officers and government officials to improve the work of DEPDC.
With the establishment of the Mekong Youth Net in 2004 DEPDC created another successful networking tool, by training youth leaders form the GMS, who will bring back their knowledge into their community.
Provide one sentence describing your impact/intended impact.
Statistics based on follow-up of the DEPDC daughters show that only 2% of the children have later entered the sex industry.
What are the main barriers to creating or achieving your impact?
Since trafficking for sexual or labor exploitation often involves crossing international borders and issues of citizenship and nationality, it is essential to form partnerships between NGOs, GOs, and CSOs both within and between countries. Despite the enormous scope of the problem and the large number of NGOs operating in the region, few regional grassroots-oriented prevention campaigns exist. Furthermore, trafficking prevention will fail without a thorough, community-based prevention strategy which incorporates an understanding of local issues surrounding poverty, migration, gender bias, human rights violations, and community instability.
How many people have you served or plan to serve?
DEPDC has helped over 3000 children and women improve their lives, stay out of sex work, and stand up for their human rights.
Directly
3000 children and women
Indirectly
DEPDC raised awareness about human trafficking in the Greater Mekong Sub-region.
Please list any other measures of the impact of your innovation?
In DEPDC’s 18 years of existence, it has implemented effective trafficking prevention and rehabilitation programs in northern Thailand, an identified hub of human trafficking activity.
Is there a policy intervention element to your innovation?
This field has not been completed. (125 words or less)
Exactly who are the beneficiaries of your innovation?
At-risk children in Northern Thailand,
Victims of child abuse, sexual abuse, human trafficking
Vulnerable people, or people with less opportunities in the community
This Entry is about (Issues)
How is your initiative financed (or how do you expect your initiative will be financed)?
DEPDC is an independent organization with no religious or government affiliations which relies on grants and donations to continue its work.
If known, provide information on your finances and organization
Annual budget 2007: US$ 595,938.1020
Number of staff: 61
- full-time: 31
- part-time: 8
- volunteers: 6
- youth volunteers 16
What is the potential demand for your innovation?
Every year several hundred girls are referred to DEPDC, often more than we can accommodate. It costs about US $750 per year for every girl DEP supports at school. This amount covers the costs of full-time accommodation, school uniforms, equipment, activities, lunch, school transport as well as life development and health care programs.
What are the main barriers to financial sustainability?
This field has not been completed. (83 words or less)
What is the origin of this innovation? Tell us your story.
The Daughters Education Program was established in 1989 by Mr. Sompop Jantraka out of a conviction that if girls were given the opportunity to remain in school they would avoid a life of prostitution. With an initial group of 19 girls, Sompop started DEP in a small house that has grown into a center that now supports over 400 children a year.
Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers marketing material
Sompop Jantraka, the founder of DEPDC has stepped down as a director after 17 years in order to pursue anti-trafficking work in the Greater Mekong Sub-region. Alinda Suya, a trusted, and hardworking women, who has been with Sompop for 17 years and knows the organization inside and out is the new Executive Director.
Emphasis of Work
Prevention and Protection
 | Gita Chakraboty said: Thank you for your reply. It is very good that you are working through collaboration with government. about this idea. - 631 days ago read more > |
| Alinda Suya said: Dear Gita, Thanks for your comment. You are right, it is not possible to stop child prostitution without intervention at policy ... about this idea. - 636 days ago read more > |
| Gita Chakraboty said: Dear Alinda suya You are doing a very good job. But how come you stop child prostitution without make any intervention at policy level? about this idea. - 641 days ago read more > |
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