After a Facebook user claimed that the 280 children receiving shelter there had been severely abused, the director of a child welfare center in Saraburi province was promptly relocated today (May 29), according to TV Channel 7.
This Facebook user said that some of the kids at this child welfare center in the Phra Phutthabat area had their hands tied, their hair shaved off, and they were made to sleep in the bathtub in addition to being locked up in a dark room.
The Facebook user, who also shared some pictures, claimed that although these kids had already experienced abuse outdoors, they did it more frequently inside the shelter.
Later, the center’s managers acknowledged that the pictures of abuse posted on social media showed an incident that happened on April 30.
However, they claimed that the center’s personnel had not mistreated the younger children and that larger kids had tormented the latter when the nannies were not there.
The director-general of the Children and Youth Affairs Department and an inspector were urgently ordered to visit the center and conduct an investigation while taking into account the welfare of children, according to Mr. Anukul Pedkaew, permanent secretary of the Social Development and Human Security Ministry.
“This child welfare center’s director has been moved to handle central responsibilities.
In order to organize a new welfare system that is available to all target groups countrywide, he added, “There will also be an urgent meeting this evening with all departmental chiefs.”
