The safeguarding of children’s rights is a cross-cutting issue of all the projects and activities that Help without Frontiers plans and implements along the Thai-Myanmar border. In order to ensure that our child protection and safeguarding policy is comprehensive and up to date, our staff joins regular trainings and coordinates with specialists in the field of Child Protection and children’s rights.
At the end of December 2018, the staff of Help without Frontiers joined a two-day training on the techniques for data collection and children interviews organised by Rights Beyond Borders, a local non-profit organization working on human rights and development issues, with a particular focus on the promotion and protection of the rights of vulnerable people, including migrant children in Thailand.
Mae Sot is a central hub for the passing of migrants from Myanmar who enter Thailand, mainly looking for better working opportunities and hoping for better lives. In their migration to Thailand, Burmese migrants go through several steps of interviews conducted by government agencies, such as immigration officers, in order to assess the motivations underpinning their migration. Throughout the interview processes, children’s protection is of utmost importance in order to ensure their rights are respected and their safety is guaranteed.
The two-day training aimed at providing the participants with knowledge, skills and techniques on data collection in order to ensure the protection and safety of migrant children in accordance with the principles enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Approximately 40 people joined the training organised in Mae Sot, namely specialists on Child Protection that are members of the regional Anti-Trafficking Network as well as representatives of the relevant government agencies. The staff from local NGOs was also called to take part to the event in their role as experts in the field of the protection of migrant children on the ground. The staff of Help without Frontiers, and yet the departments of Child Protection and Rays of Youth project, and of Right to Play, were also called to share the experiences they maturated through years of project activities in and around Mae Sot.
During the two-day training, academic and professionals discussed the principle of children’s protection as articulated in the CRC and harmonised in Thai national law through the Child Protection Act of 2003. The techniques and methods for collecting information were discussed with a particular focus on the situation of children in detention centres. Moreover, the participants deepened their knowledge on the principles of no-harm, confidentiality, and best interest of the child.
These networking and educational opportunities are precious for the staff of Help without Frontiers to share the in-field expertise, gain knowledge and increase the collaboration with local organisations and authorities engaged in the protection of migrant children.
