A walk around Bangkok presents many images and curiosities. Whilst most of these images evoke mere intrigue about the city, the images of children and adults begging for money are somewhat more striking and provoking.

Living in the towering shadow of globalisation is not an easy thing to do, and so some children are forced to work in order to survive, not just for themselves, but also for their families. These children are present at all of the major nightspots in Bangkok, often selling flowers and candies. The problems set in when one becomes immune to their puppy dog eyes and their psychological trickery. At this point one begins to treat the children as nothing out of the ordinary and it becomes harder and harder to bat an eyelid when hearing their stories.

As clubbers go to party every night at RCA, Ratchada and Khaosan, so the children make their move. Most people in Bangkok seem to have their own theories about the street children. Many of these theories, however much they may touch on the truth, are founded on hearsay and rumor.

The following is a selection of case studies of the street children working at three of the most popular nightspots in Bangkok: RCA, Ratchada Soi 4 and Khaosan Road.

Khaosan Road

Usup

As a haven for backpackers, travelers and partygoers alike, Khaosan is the perfect place to sell anything. Fake DVDs, Converse shoes, T-Shirts, cheap electrical products - it’s all there. The influx of Farang makes it a good place for children to work.

One young boy working on Khaosan went by the name of Usup. His genuine sense of enthusiasm for life was quite astounding, and he was more than happy to talk to my translator and I. His smile beamed as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He was selling flowers to tourists, as many of the children do. As opposed to being involved in some sort of mafia syndicate, he said he was working for his parents. At eleven years old, he had been working on the streets for five years already.

Working only during vacation periods and on weekends, he attends school at Wat Fang. When asked about whether or not he liked to work, he was quite adamant that he did. This writer previously thought that perhaps to work at the nightspots of Bangkok would serve to drain any child’s own sense of innocence, but Usup seemed to be as childlike and sweet as any other. He enjoys his job because he thinks it is fun to speak with Farang and practice his English.

He said he is happy and feels a genuine sense of self-satisfaction and achievement if someone buys one of his flowers. He said he had only ever met good people on Khaosan and had not come across any unsavoury characters. It was evident that Khaosan Road serves to watch its own back. The food vendors and other street workers seem to keep an eye on the children, and while this writer was conducting his interviews, it was easy to notice that everyone had at least one eye on what was taking place.

Usup said he would continue to work for a few years because he needed to make money for his parents. His mother does house work all day and his father works as a food vendor in Nonthaburi. Usup said he had to take the bus to and from Khaosan on his own every day. He seemed to have no real fear of what he was doing. Speaking with Usup left a good taste in this writer’s mouth because everything had gone so smoothly and there was no sign of any of the darker images of Bangkok that people often associate with the street children.

Dif

Dif is a twelve-year-old boy, living in Siyan, who also works on Khaosan Road, selling small packets of candy. He had a zest for life equal to Usup’s, and a beaming, somewhat cheeky, smile. Dif’s story is slightly sadder, however. His father is dead, and he does not know where his mother is, and so he lives at home with his grandmother. He works on Friday and Saturday night and enjoys working because he says it is fun. He said that all of the money he makes goes to supporting himself and his grandmother, and so again this indicated no mafia connections. When the mafia was mentioned he looked slightly more serious and made it clear he had nothing to do with it, but that there were some other children who did. He told us that there were some children working on Khaosan selling flowers who were part of organised crime syndicates. He said he was never scared to work on Khaosan.

He said he meets good and bad people, and whenever he meets a bad person he knows to just walk away and not let it bother him. During the daytime he either attends school at Wat Soitong or helps his grandmother with housework. As an only child he has an enormous burden on his shoulders but he seems to get a lot of satisfaction from being able to help his family, which highlights a lot about strong family values in Thailand. Dif said he would probably only work until he reached Mattayom 3. He then mentioned that he knew some children connected with the mafia and that an introduction could be set up.

The mafia connection

The two mafia-related children that were presented to us were not at all the same as Dif or Usup. One boy and one girl, sat on the side of the street, had an altogether darker, more sinister glint in their eyes. Their suspicions of us were immediately apparent and they had no intention of talking to this writer and his translator in any great depth. The boy, with bleached blonde highlights, looked so much older than he actually was and seemed to lack any real sense of childlike innocence. He glared at us and it became quickly apparent that this was not to be taken too far, and so we left soon after the meeting.

Beebee

Dif had one other friend working with him. A young girl by the name of Beebee who said she was eleven years old. It was quickly apparent that she neither spoke much English nor Thai, and Dif admitted that he had little idea what she was ever saying. She seemed willing to talk to us because she knew that doing so would get her some money. She seemed happy enough to be working with her friend. Dif mentioned that he knew a lot of the other children and that they were friends together.

Ratchada Soi 4

Ratchada Soi 4 is a hot spot known for its many nightclubs. Whilst not many Farang venture to Soi 4, it is hugely popular with Thai students.

Hama

One young girl was walking around Ratchada selling flowers. We approached the girl but were met with eyes of extreme caution and she immediately backed away from us, in stark contrast to the reaction of the children at Khaosan. She was suspicious of us, but had a friend with her, a young boy, who came over to see what was happening. He seemed equally apprehensive about our intentions. Immediately he asked what we were doing and asked if we were the police.

His name was Hama, ten years old and selling flowers. His story was a little confusing. At first he told us he did not know where his parents were, then he claimed he lived with his mother. Perhaps a little was lost in the translation. He claimed to attend school in Bangkapi, but also said that he worked every day. He said he had enough time to work and go to school every day. He seemed to be reluctant to give any real information and his attitude was closed. The young girl stood anxiously by his side, with one eye constantly looking over her shoulder to see what was going on around her. The whole interview was not a particularly pleasant experience. They were both scared. Hama was convinced we were the police and he asked to see what was being written down.

It was impossible to convince him that our intentions were innocent and he started getting angry. We decided to leave. Other people around us were starting to look at what we were doing and Ratchada all of a sudden became slightly uncomfortable. We gave Hama some money, which he took with caution. He refused to let us take his picture and so we left. He followed us, and so his friend decided to follow us. He stopped us and asked to see some ID and also to look through this writer’s bag. He wanted to take the notebook that had been used during the interview and he was becoming quite frantic.

It was unclear why the children at Ratchada had reacted so negatively to our presence. It was interesting to see that they had a genuine fear of the police. Police presence at Ratchada is nowhere near as high as at Khaosan. These children could possibly have been involved with the mafia in some way but it is difficult to say with any real certainty. They were obviously not happy to be working and they never smiled.

RCA

The street children at RCA are not visible until around 2 am when they come out to meet the hordes of clubbers spilling out on to the streets.

Som

Som is an eleven-year-old girl working at RCA selling flowers. She works for her parents. Her father sells food and her mother takes care of the house. She said that her parents had no money and that she also had two younger brothers. She enjoys her work because of the sense of joy she gets from helping her family.

She mentioned that Farang always buy flowers for their Thai girlfriends and that it made her feel happy when someone bought from her. She said she worked every day. She also said that she went to school near Rama 9. She has only been working for two months but, rather sadly, she said she would probably be working until she grows up, at which point she has a dream of becoming a waitress. In the day she said she does housework.

She mentioned that she was occasionally scared that someone would take her away. She said she felt safer during the times when her mother and father were present whilst she was working. When asked if anybody had ever approached her and asked to take her home, she said nobody had done so and that if they did she would simply run away.

Gintana

One young girl was mingling with people sat down eating food from one of the vendors, and so we approached her. Her face was expressionless and blank, as if the life had been drained from her body. She was clearly unhappy. Her name was Gintana and she was ten years old, selling flowers to passers by. She lives at Rama 9 and works for her mother, who she said is very sick. She does not know where her father is. Her mother has no money and so she has no choice but to work.

She likes to work because she wants to help her family, but ultimately she says it is not fun. She said she goes to school at Rama 9 and that she has no mafia connections. She works every day and goes to school, but said she never gets tired or scared. She was slightly reluctant to speak with us. She looked incredibly sad and slightly nervous.

One night in Bangkok

To draw a conclusion from these case studies is difficult. There is no answer to the issue of the street children. In a third world country such as Thailand, it is clear that it is necessary, however sad it may be, for some children to work to help to support their families. If the children do not work then their families suffer. Whilst there are dangers present, the children are incredibly streetwise and the Thai communities appear to look after the children as best they can. The children, for the most part, seem happy to be doing what they are doing, if only because it means they can do something for their family.

To argue that it is better not to give these children money seems absurd. Not all of the children are part of the mafia. The children that are part of the mafia are a different issue, and as long as there are children on the street there will be children working for organized crime syndicates.

The street children should not be ignored and nor should they be judged. They are just children, so next time you hurry past one of them on a night out, think about why you are really hurrying.