Peace Talk agenda must include children affected by violence in the Deep South

Bangkok – 26 March 2013 – The first Peace Talk between the Royal Thai Government and a group that is believed to be among the leaders of insurgents in Southernmost provinces of Thailand will take place on 28^th March 2013, after over nine years of on-going violence. Save the Children urges all parties to take this opportunity to end the violence against children in the conflict-affected provinces.

At least 5,087 children were made orphans by nine-year long violence in the Southernmost provinces of Thailand, and more now bear many unhealed psychological scars, Save the Children warns. The child rights organization now urges the government of Thailand to ensure that schools are declared as violence-free zones and children are given access to the counseling support they need to help them cope with the distress of the conflict.

In order to highlight the urgency of the issue, Save the Children, in partnership with the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies, Mahidol University (IHRP) and the Foundation for Child Development (FCD), who have worked together in the Southernmost provinces since 2010 under the “Kampong Suenae: Building Happy Community” project supported by the European Union, held a joint press conference on March 26^th, 2013 at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Thailand. This comes just two days ahead of the first government initiated peace talks with one of the leading insurgent groups in the area.

Over the last eight years, conflicts in Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat, as well as four districts of Songkhla, have caused children to be exposed to violence on a daily basis, at schools, tea shops and on the streets. Watch groups say that about 300 children under age 15 have been injured and at least 50 killed in the process.

Classes have also been disrupted frequently due to the violence and many children have lost their teachers to the conflict, affecting their overall learning outcomes. Without peace at school, it means children do not have a safe place to learn, play, talk through their experiences and make sense of what is happening around them.

“A mere sight of armed personnel in communities and schools is already a presence of violence against children,” said Kanokwan Moratsatian, Kampong Suenae Project Manager of Foundation for Child Development. “We need to think of how to remove arms from the communities and end all forms of violence against children.”

At the peace talks that will take place on March 28^th, Save the Children, Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies, Mahidol University, and the Foundation for Child Development call on the government of Thailand to:

1.  Ensure that schools remain a conflict-free zone by removing militia bases from schools grounds, so that children have a safe place to learn, play and talk through their experiences and make sense of what is happening around them.

2.  Ensure that children are given the psychosocial support that they need to overcome the psychological distress of the conflict.

3.  Include children in the peace process so that they can learn to accept those who are of different ethnic background

4.  Ensure that children are put through the juvenile justice process as we know that children are simply victims of the conflict that is going on around them

Allison Zelkowitz, Save the Children’s Program Director for Thailand, said: “Children have rights to feel safe regardless of their situation. We condemn the violence that has been inflicted on children. All forms of abuses against children are preventable and ongoing violence is a grave violation of their rights as stated in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children need to be a part of the peace process if we are to achieve true peace and stability for all in the area. Additionally, all children deserve to feel safe in their environment, have access to a safe school that promotes good learning outcomes and a trial process that is separate from those of adults. This round of peace talks can play a vital role in giving children just that.”

For more information, please contact:

Ms. Pathamapond Yiamsudhisopon, Kampong Suenae Project Coordinator, Save the Children International

Email: pat.yiamsudhisopon@savethechildren.org Tel. 0-2684-1286

Dr. Gothom Arya, The Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies, Mahidol University

Email: gothompb@gmail.com Tel. 0-2441-0813

Ms. Kanokwan Moratsatian, Kampong Suenae Project Manager, Foundation for Child Development

Email: moratsatian@hotmail.com Tel. 089-695-8887