Today (May 29), when a Facebook user claimed that the 280 children who were staying there had been severely abused, the director of a child welfare center in the province of Saraburi was promptly relocated, according to TV Channel 7.
Some of the kids at this Phra Phutthabat district child welfare center, according to one Facebook user, were locked up in a dark room with their hands tied, their hair shaved off, and they were made to sleep in the bathtub.
The Facebook user, who had also uploaded some pictures, claimed that although these kids had already been subjected to abuse outdoors, they did it again inside the shelter.
Later, the center’s administrators acknowledged that the abuse images circulated on social media were indeed of an incident that happened on April 30.
They claimed, however, that the employees at the center had not mistreated the younger children and that larger kids had tormented the younger ones when the nannies were not around.
However, Mr. Anukul Pedkaew, permanent secretary of the Social Development and Human Security Ministry, claimed that after becoming aware of the abuse, he immediately gave the inspector and director-general of the Children and Youth Affairs Department orders to visit the center and conduct an investigation while keeping children’s welfare in mind.
“The director of this center for child protection has been moved to handle central responsibilities.
The organization of a new welfare system for all target groups around the country will be discussed at an urgent meeting with all departmental chiefs this evening, he added.
