Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome brought together a joint
meeting of three children-related committees to talk about improving the quality
of life for area youths.
Urasin Khantaraphan
Pattaya is donating 800,000 baht annually to child-welfare charities as part
of its larger effort to improve the quality of life for youths, Mayor Itthiphol
Kunplome told a joint meeting of three children-related committees.
Wanlop Tangkanarak, secretary-general of the Foundation for the Better Life of
Children and Radchada Chomjinda, director of the Human Help Network Thailand
were among the leading child advocates attending the Feb. 17 meeting of the
Pattaya Child Protection, Multi-Professional, and Special Operations committees.
The mayor reviewed problems facing children in Pattaya and what the city is
doing to resolve them. He said children face a variety of serious issues,
including homelessness, neglect, lack of health and educational services,
domestic violence, abandonment, trafficking, sexual abuse and illegal labor.
To address such issues, city hall has been working with children’s and family
homes, foundations, child-protection centers, the Banglamung Public Hazard
Center, local police, Banglamung Hospital, the Ministry of Social Development
and Human Security and the Y.M.C.A. Bangkok-Pattaya Center.
He said the Pattaya One-Stop Crisis Center at phone number 1300 and the Pattaya
Call Center at 1337 provide 24-hour emergency services for all kinds problems,
especially starving, homeless children; child labor; human trafficking; and
violence against children, women and the elderly.
The city also gives 800,000 baht annually to foundations, with 500,000 baht
going to the Father Ray Foundation and 300,000 to Pattaya Bright Image Project
run by the Chonburi Social Development and Human Security office.
The city also is allocating funding for other youth-related projects, such as
marching band competitions, the “family immunity” program to promote love and
understanding in families, volunteer networks, and a program to improve the
quality of life in slum neighborhoods.
He said 17,528 male and 16,936 females ages 18 or under are registered to live
in Pattaya, with 1,773 of them under one year of age. From 2012-2013 68 children
were registered with no nationality and 42 without documentation, but believed
to be Thai.
