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>View discussions about this entry Country: Thailand
Organization: DEPDC - Development and Education Program for Daughters and Communities
Sector Focus - Other
Year the initative began (yyyy) - 1989
Project URL: http://www.depdc.org
Positioning in the Mosaic of solutions
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.
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.
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.
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 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;
Annual revenue generated; Number of staff: 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.
Contact Information:
Alinda Suya
Executive Director DEPDC - Development and Education Program for Daughters and Communities (NGO) info@depdc.org P.O. Box 10 Mae Sai Chiang Rai 57130 Thailand
Discussions about this entry |
Help stop child prostitution – Development and Education Program for Daughters and Communities
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Thank you for your reply. It is very good that you are working through collaboration with government.
Dear Gita,
Thanks for your comment. You are right, it is not possible to stop child prostitution without intervention at policy level. Given the illegal and fluid nature of trafficking, neither the government nor NGO’s can be effective by themselves. Coordinated and complementary efforts are essential within countries and across borders. In December 2006, the Thai government opened the Children and Family Home of Chiang Rai, the first government shelter in Chiang Rai province to respond to victims of human trafficking. This government shelter was opened after four years of successful cooperation between the government and MRICRH, a project of DEPDC begun in 2002 with a Memorandum of Understanding with the Hill Tribe Development and Welfare Center of Chiang Rai. The MRICRH responds to this need for GO-NGO coordination and provides trafficking victims with services and rights as they are entitled by law.
Dear Alinda suya
You are doing a very good job. But how come you stop child prostitution without make any intervention at policy level?