Are you a dreamer?

I love dreaming and thinking of the future and what might happen.

When there are dreams and hope, there is a future to look forward to. Kids with dreams become adults with vision. It is simple as that, in my opinion.

What kind of dreams did you have when you were a child?

Or are you still child? If yes, what things are you dreaming of?

All of your dreams can come true, if you have the courage to pursue them. But besides courage, children also need the freedom and safety to dream and shape our world in ways we can all benefit from.

Projects of child protection can be of major support here.

OUR PROJECTS

What we instill in our children will be the foundation upon which they build their future.

All children have the right to be protected from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.

At Siam Hills Coffee, many of us have small children and beloved family ourselves, of course. Out of this very simple and natural reason, there was never a real question, if we would join any supporting movement or not. The question was rather in terms of how much we can become committed.

The more, the better.

For all of us.

UNDERSTANDING CHILD PROTECTION

Sadly but true, physical violence, such as spanking and beating, is still accepted as normal way of disciplining children. Even nowadays, reported cases of violence against children are on the rise.

Nearly half of parents and caretakers believe that punishment is necessary to raise or educate a child.

The work on child protection focuses on strengthening the child protection system. It prevents and responds to gender-based violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation of children.

This builds on efforts for law reform and enforcement. It promotes sufficient and appropriate understanding and a much more moderated attitude towards violence in general.

Child protection particularly develops and strengthens essential services and rehabilitation. The goal is to build an eventual self-sustaining network of family, community members and designated service providers, providing a safe and trustworthy home for every child.

You can very well imagine. It is a huge task and challenge to accomplish. But there is no other way. We set our goal as high as possible, to hopefully protect as many children as possible.

WHAT IS CHILD ABUSE

Siam Hills Coffee adopts the World Health Organization definition of child abuse.

Child abuse or maltreatment constitutes all forms of physical and emotional ill-treatment.  Most common cases are sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment. Through early age labor and work, there is commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm.

All of the above can have severe impacts on the child’s health, survival development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power.

In our opinion, of course, it is most important to empower our children and make them stronger and not take things away from them.

It is up to us, how we treat, encourage and educate our next generation. This is the beauty of our life, I believe.

We have the fate of human’s history in our own hands. Our children are our future. So let’s make them shine bright and let them become stars to inspire others.

At Siam Hills Coffee we are than convinced to support the ideas of child protection.

PHYSICAL ABUSE

In general, there are four different main types of child abuse.

Physical abuse occurs when a person purposefully injures or threatens to injure a child or a young person.

This may take the form of but is not limited to slapping, punching, shaking, burning, shoving or grabbing.

The injury may take the form of bruises, cuts, burns and even fractures.

EMOTIONAL ABUSE

Emotional abuse is a chronic attack on a child’s or a young person’s self esteem.

It can take the form of but is not limited to name-calling, threatening, ridiculing, intimidating or isolating the child or young person.

SEXUAL ABUSE

It is any act that involves sexual molestation. Sexual abuse is exploitation of a child or a young person regardless whether physical injuries are sustained.

Child sexual abuse is a physical violation of a child’s body through any sort of sexual contact. Furthermore, it is a physiological violation of a child’s space through verbal or visual sexual behavior.

NEGLECT

It stands for the persistent failure to meet a child’s or a young person’s basic needs.

These can either be physical needs, such as adequate nutrition, personal hygiene, shelter or appropriate supervision. Or, this can also mean medical needs, such as general and mental health care.

CHILD TRAFFICKING

It sounds horrible but it sadly happens every day. Especially, where I am coming from.

Trafficking is the illegal movement of human beings from one country or region to another. It has the clear purpose and intention of exploiting that individual. It is one of the world’s most complex and expansive human rights abuses.

My home country, Thailand, has one of the highest incidences of human trafficking in the world.

With more economic power than its neighboring countries, Thailand is a trafficking destination point. Tens or thousands of victims are being moved into the country and are forced to work in low paid, degrading and abusive industries.

The initiatives of child protection and its supporters have to particularly become vocally active here.

The sex tourism industry is just one sector that exploits victims. High demand for sex workers is met by young girls and boys, being brought into Thailand. Particularly, these victims originate from rural areas of Thailand itself or from its neighboring countries, such as Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

As well as trafficking victims, economic migrants find themselves in sub-standard jobs, working in horrendous conditions, for poor pay. Migrants without paperwork have no access to the Thai justice system, healthcare, education or welfare.

At Siam Hills Coffee and together with our partners, we work to protect the child victims of human trafficking and help the children of migrant families to receive support, rehabilitation, access to education and to justice and to make their living environments safer and more stable.

HOW TO START AND MAINTAIN

The solution and right direction is actually quite obvious and simple but, at the same time, it is also a big challenge. It requires strong commitment and involvement of several key persons, communities and organizations.

Thailand needs child protection expertise at a community level.

LOCAL AWARENESS & EDUCATION

Over the past decade, the government of Thailand introduced several important initiatives to better protect children from all forms of abuse.

They set up one-stop crisis centers and protection shelters in every province to provide treatment, care and support for vulnerable children and children who suffer violence and abuse.  A very successful and positive example would be the Child Protection and Development Center in Pattaya.

Child protection and creating awareness is hard work. It requires resources both financial and human. Sadly, global studies show that many children who face abuse will bear significant psychological scars for the rest of their lives. The importance of having child protection expertise is often still not fully recognized enough by authorities and local communities.

The challenge is then how to ensure that such expertise is available at a community level to manage both identification and referral as needed, to detect and monitor child protection concerns including incidents of abuse and violence, and provide family support.

This is a challenge not only for Thailand, but also for other countries around the world.

OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES

At Siam Hills Coffee and together with the institutions, organizations and local communities, we are actively supporting, we are following the guiding principles regarding child protection set up by Friends International.

All children are human beings. They are the subject and receivers of human rights that Siam Hills Coffee will respect at all times.

Additionally, all children have equal rights, of course. At all costs, they have rights to protection from all forms of abuse and exploitation. Regardless of their gender, race, health situation, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, social background or culture.

Child abuse is never acceptable!

All children should be encouraged to fulfill their potential and inequalities should be challenged.

Everybody has the responsibility to support the care and protection of children.

Our partners and the projects we support have a responsibility to meet minimum standards of protection for the children in their programs and activities.

WE HELP TO PROTECT CHILDREN

Following means and points are our own standards in order to help protecting children.

AWARENESS

We ensure that all of our colleagues and closest business partners, beneficiary organizations and clients are aware of the problems of child abuse and the risks to children.

PREVENTION

We ensure, through awareness, guidelines and good practice as role models, that our colleagues, partners and clients minimize the risks to children.

If we see that a potential business partner or client is deliberately disrespecting our own values and the rights of children, we choose not to work with them. Sadly, this is sometimes the case, but we would not feel comfortable to act any different.

REPORTING

We ensure and inform our colleagues, business partners, suppliers and customers of the steps to take when concerns arise regarding the safety of children.

RESPONDING

We encourage to take action to support and protect children where concerns arise regarding possible abuse. This process will be fair and transparent.

SUPPORTING

Siam Hills Coffee very actively and enthusiastically funds child care organizations, educational project and projects supporting disadvantaged families.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Of course, everything is free of choice and totally up to your own wishes.

In case you would like to support initiatives such as Child Protections, here are a few ways, which might sound interesting to you.

Many organizations would be happy to receive some small donations. One of the most engaged organizations in Thailand is Safe Child Thailand, for example.

Throughout the recent years, more and more amazing volunteers have found their way to Thailand. For example, they are getting engaged at orphanages by signing up through programs such as Friends For Asia.

In terms of human trafficking, here is a working directory. These organizations engage actively in combating human trafficking in Thailand.

By drinking and enjoying our beloved Siam Hills Coffee, you would of course help and support as well.  We are very active and enthusiastic about the topic of Child Protection and therefore happy to as much as possible.

OUR OWN MOTTO

Making money is nice, creating and maintaining a sustainable future for every living being involved is a lot more fun!

How about you?

Which point do you find most important concerning child protection?

Please be so kind to share with us. We are always eager and fascinated to learn and grow more.