WEB PBS JULY 17

BUSINESS SUPPLEMENT
CHILD ABANDONMENT
Child abandonment occurs
when a child is knowingly or secretly
left behind by his/her parent
or guardian, without any regard
for the child’s physical health,
safety or well-being and with the
intention of completely abandoning
the child to willingly renounce
parental responsibility.
According to the Child Protection
Act B.E. 2546 (2003), guardians
of a child are forbidden to act as
follows:
1. Abandon a child at a nursery
or health care facility, or with a
person employed to look after the
child, or at a public place or any
other place, with the intention of
not taking him or her back;
2. Neglect a child at any place
without arranging for appropriate
safety protection or care;
3. Deliberately or neglectfully
withhold from a child things that
are necessary for sustaining the
child’s life or health, to an extent
which seems likely to cause
physical or mental harm to the
child;
4. Treat a child in ways or manners
which hinder his/her growth
or development or which constitutes
unlawful caring.
Some of the primary causes
of child abandonment include:
• unwanted or unplanned
pregnancy
• poverty
• poor parenting skills
• depression
• mental and physical illness
of either the child or parents
• drug or alcohol abuse
• lack of education
• lack of cultural values
• the child having disability
Child Abandonment is a criminal
offense. Whoever abandons a
child not over nine years of age in
any place, with intent to completely
abandon such child in a manner
so that such child shall be without
a person to take care of, shall be
punished with imprisonment not
exceeding three years or fined
not exceeding Six Thousand
Baht, or both.
If a child dies as a result of abandonment,
the offender may face
reckless abandonment charges
and shall be punished with imprisonment
of three to fifteen years.
If a child suffered grievous bodily
harm as a result of abandonment,
the offender shall be punished
with imprisonment of six months
to ten years.
Helping an abandoned child
1. If the child is wounded or injured,
the child should be taken
to a hospital immediately to get
proper treatment.
2. Report the incident to the nearest
Police Station. Police Officers
will investigate and track down the
parents or any relative of the child
and attempt to contact them.
3. Contact the organization Group
Homes for Children and Family
in Chonburi Province at 038-240-
220 / 038-240-135, or through their
hotline 1300. This organization is
governed by the Ministry of Social
Development and Human Security,
which has the main duty to protect
children’s rights and welfare. The
abandoned child/children are then
taken to the center, to check their
health, to test their Intelligence
Quotient (I.Q.), and to examine
their mental status and behavior.
After the assessment, the abandoned
child/children will then be
transferred too the organizations
which are suitable for them.
Email: ben.hightowerltd@gmail.com
www.Thailand-Business-Supplement.com