10 year old girl allegedly forced into child labour & abused by parents
Non-profit organization Zendai yesterday rescued an abused 10 year old girl they found selling snacks at a petrol station in the Ayutthaya province of central Thailand. The child had wounds and bruises on her body and face.
Zendai (เส้นด้าย) posted a video of the girl on their Facebook page highlighting her plight…
“One of our team found this girl selling snacks at a petrol station in the Wang Noi district of Ayutthaya. The girl had a huge bruise on her left eye and busted lips, looking like she had been attacked by someone.
“She insisted to our team that it was an accident and she fell from a washing machine. The girl was frightened and looked around as if she was being watched. She didn’t give many details but we will investigate what happened to her.”
In the video, the child informed a Zendai team member that she is a Grade 5 student and goes to school every day and sells snacks at a petrol station until late at night.
The girl wore headphones while the Zendai agent spoke to her. Zendai believe her mother was monitoring the situation and instructing her via the girl’s phone.
Zendai then handed the case over to the Department of Children and Youth, and the Social Development and Human Security of Ayutthaya, who discovered the child had been abused.
Officers questioned the girl, her mother, and her stepfather, at Uthai Police Station. The mother insisted that she didn’t force her daughter to sell snacks. She said her daughter volunteered because she wanted to help the family.
The mother said that she didn’t hit the girl, and her wounds were from a washing machine accident four days earlier. However, her stepfather confessed that he sometimes beat the girl because she is stubborn. He revealed he had two more children with the girl’s mother and also beat them when they were stubborn.
The mother insisted she did not know her husband had beaten her daughter and that she told her to wear headphones connected to the phone to prevent her from being kidnapped.
Police released the parents without charge after two hours of questioning but added they would be investigating further.
The Department of Children and Youth will look after the girl until the case is solved.
