Thailand: He is about 14 years old, covered in dirt, often appears in front of the shop in the busy Siam Square in the evening to ask for money.

Wearing a baggy shirt, slippers, a 14-year-old boy with dirty hair pulled a plastic cup from his backpack next to the entrance of the 7-Eleven store near Siam square, where many shopping centers were busy. In the Thai capital, Bangkok.

The boy sat on his knees, hung his head on his arm or lay on the sidewalk while waiting for each coin to be dropped into the cup by passersby. He never said or looked to anyone. The boy looked sleepy and drowsy like the substance abuse. Perhaps the boy lived for months or even years on the street.

"His parents must be bad people. I think they are drug dealers," said the woman who sold the fruit next to the 7-Eleven store.

This 14-year-old boy lives in the notorious slums of Bangkok and prefers to wander the streets more than to go home. "I once offered to take him home but he refused. I felt he was pitiful," said the man who repaired his shoes on the sidewalk.

Like the boy, many teenagers in Bangkok prefer to run away from home, according to the Mirror Foundation's Missing Search Center, a non-profit organization in Thailand that searches for missing children to bring home. family.

"Difficult circumstances and family problems are the cause of many children fleeing their homes. Among them, neglect by parents, abuse and domestic violence are the main causes." schools can also be agents, "said Lakkhana Sirikan, a researcher with the group.

Sombat Boonngamanong, a social activist with the Mirror Foundation, says the changing family model also affects children.

"The multi-generational family relationship in Bangkok is no longer close. Children who are abused or abandoned by their parents are often not carried by grandparents or relatives. Many parents abandon their children because they face too much." A lot of pressure, "said Sombat.

Last year, Thailand had 244 children missing and many other unreported cases, of which 85% fled their homes to dust, according to the Mirror Foundation. Most of these children have been found and taken home or placed in orphanages.

"Some cases were really pitiful. A 10-year-old girl was reported missing. We later found her abused and exploited at home, much like Cinderella. She took the bus. randomly and then sitting on it until the last stop because she wanted to leave the house as far as possible, "Lakkhana said, adding that she now lives in an orphanage.

Like most other street children, the boy near Siam Square lives on a begging money. The boy begged with the man in a wheelchair and a big, fat, concave skull, living under the stairs.

"Living in the street is very miserable, but for many children, it is better than at home," said Piyabut Phailamun, who used to be a wandering child.

25-year-old Piyabut left home when he was 7 and became homeless for 15 years. Family troubles led him to abandon a bungalow in a low-income slum, located next to the train tracks in Bangkok. Piyabut's father is a bus driver and has two wives, and his mother does not care for him but pushes for his grandmother.

"She forced me to look after her and not let me go out. Whenever I sneaked out with other children, I was beaten by her," Piyabut recalls.

One night, after sneaking out to play, Piyabut decided not to go home for fear of her beating. An older boy took him to Sanam Luang, the vast lawn next to the Grand Palace (Thailand's Royal Palace), where many homeless people, including children, were found.

Sanam Luang is not far from Piyabut's house, but it is like the world that was strange to the young Piyabut boy at that time. "I like it because it's interesting. I've made lots of friends," he said.

Piyabut doesn't lack anything here or because he sees it. The shopkeeper gave him food, and the money he requested was used to play video games in the Internet shop. Many people gave him money as foreign tourists.

"As a child, it's easy to ask for money because many people find you pitiful. The police also don't pay attention to you," Piyabut said.

He often bathed in the nearby Chao Phraya River and slept on the grass or the sidewalk. If he had enough money, he rented mattresses and pillows for the night from a local business house. When it rains, Piyabut resides under the bridge or the porch. He scavenged for food and helped the monk beg for food in exchange for food.

"I don't feel homesick because I don't have any happy memories there. I like doing what I want," Piyabut said.

However, life on the street is not always fun. Many homeless boys are seduced into selling ice, also known as yaba (crazy medicine). Other children steal shop stuff, steal or get involved in many other crimes. Sexual abuse and exploitation are a common threat to street children.

"I saw a well-dressed man buy something for the three boys and take them away. Since then I haven't seen them again," Piyabut recalls.

Like many other wandering children, Piyabut does not go to school so cannot read and write. Until recently, he still didn't know his real name and was often called by the nickname "Um".

"The longer you leave home, the worse the future of children. Some may become aggressive and violent, while others become alcoholics or drug addicts. Some participants trafficking in sex, "said Sombat, 51, who dropped out of high school and ran many humanitarian projects over the past 30 years.

However, not everyone goes the wrong way despite living in the streets for decades. Ae did not know her real name and date of birth. The lovely 40-year-old man with a thin beard and a limp limping for gout was abandoned as a child and was taken care of by a monk in the temple. "My parents don't need me," he said.

Ae was bullied by other children until she was about 7-8 years old. "I was so scared of being alone. I had to dig through the trash and find food and ask strangers to help me," Ae said.

Finally, Ae went to Sanam Luang, where he begged and sold newspapers despite being illiterate. He likes to enjoy outdoor parties here with live music, movie screenings and free food. Ae also likes crowded gatherings.

Ae was once tricked into a fishing boat, where he was forced to work as a slave in the sea for months without pay. "It is very hard work. If you resist, they will push you into the sea without anyone knowing," Ae said.

Ae tried to escape from there. He now lives in a small motel room and became a social worker of the Mirror Foudation organization that helps homeless people. Last Christmas, he dressed as Santa Claus around the street to give presents to the wanderers.

"Ae is the exception. Many homeless people do not do that. He is lucky not to fall," Sombat said.

"I had a hard life. Many of my friends died," Ae said.

Not only Ae, Piyabut was also on the right track. Three years ago, he had tuberculosis but was not treated because he had no money. He doesn't even have a citizen identification card to get health care under the government's medical program.

"I used to think I was going to die. I wanted to go home. But I didn't know the exact address or where it was from. All I remember was the wooden house next to the train tracks," Piyabut said. know.

Received free treatment by a kind doctor, Piyabut gradually recovered from his illness and began searching for his family. After weeks of searching with the help of Mirror Foundation staff, he finally determined its location.

"At first I didn't recognize my father because he was too old. He didn't recognize me either. He thought I was dead. They both cried," Piyabut said.

The 25-year-old currently lives at home and often wonders what it would be like to not leave home. "I probably went to school and had a better life," he said.

Ae agreed with that. "I told the wandering children, 'Go home if you can. Don't live on the street because bad people will abuse and trick you,'" he said.