Young offenders try to scrub black mark
‘Aye’ hopes to convince employers he’s a changed man as he looks for his dream job, writes Prangthong Jitcharoenkul
Twenty-year-old Aye hasn’t given up hope that one day he’ll be a graphic designer. The 20-year-old, recently released from a juvenile detention centre where he served time for committing physical assault, acknowledges his past is a black mark against his name but hopes companies will be able to look past that.
Aye (real name withheld) completed a one-year vocational training course in computer and graphic design with Plan Thailand, an organisation that aims to improve the lives of marginalised and disadvantaged youngsters, at the Ban Karuna Juvenile Vocational Training Centre for Boys in Samut Prakan province.
“I was a responsible student and never thought I would one day end up here,” he said.
“But things at home were rough. There was no happiness there,” he said, recalling an acrimonious period during which his parents were going through a divorce, along with other terse domestic moments.
Realising the sort of prejudice employers have towards juvenile offenders, Aye was grateful to get a job, with the help of a friend, as an insurance broker — a respectable job, yet still shy of his dream, he concedes.
“I want to be a graphic designer. I just hope my background doesn’t make employers have second thoughts about hiring me,” he said.
And he never loses hope.
He recently participated in the Career Development for Youth project which teaches young people how to dress appropriately when going for an interview, how to prepare a resume and portfolio, and handle a job interview with confidence.
“Children who come from juvenile detention centres put themselves down. They underestimate their value,” said Piraya Thitinonthachai, coordinator of the Career Development for Youth project.
“So we try to boost their self-esteem, teach them how to say ‘no’ [to bad things] and educate them on how to negotiate and handle conflict,” said Ms Piraya.
“Primarily, we teach them to find out what their strengths and weaknesses are and how to answer questions from an employer without losing themselves,” she said, adding they are encouraged to always tell the truth and be calm when facing difficult questions or high pressure situations.
John McDonough, country director of Plan International, who co-organised the project, said equal treatment and employment opportunities for youth are needed in all sectors.
Some vocational training on offer to them includes courses in welding, carpentry, furniture making, computer and graphic design, car and motorcycle repair, coffee making and cooking.
After completing their course, participants take part in a one-day programme offered at the juvenile centre in which they receive comments on how to improve their portfolio and resume, and also engage in a mock interview.
The labour force survey conducted by the National Statistical Office showed the youth unemployment rate in Thailand stood at 5.3% in November last year, up from 2.5% during the same period in 2015.
As of January, 713 detained youths were enrolled in vocational training. Of them, 605 completed the programme and are in work, giving the economy a lift as they help plug a shortage of young, skilled labour that continues to undermine the country’s growth, according to Mr McDonough.
Thus Khunthongphum, Aye’s care worker, who has been working at Ban Karuna for over 16 years, urged the public to differentiate between mature criminals and young people such as the centre’s detainees who have made one-off mistakes in life. Most of the detained youngsters are victims of domestic abuse, a broken home or sexual harassment, he said.
Ban Karuna is now home to 572 young men, making it the country’s biggest taker of male youths who have committed offences, he said.
It has signed an agreement with the hardware retail chain Thai Watsadu and White House Cleaning Products for them to look at prospective job seekers without discrimination.
Things at home were rough. There was no happiness there.
AYE BAN KARUNA DETAINEE