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.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome brought together a joint meeting of three children-related committees to talk about improving the quality of life for area youths.
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.
