Physical violence causes mental disorders in Thai children.

“I woke up in an emergency room. My arms, legs and body were bound with the bed. I tried my best to escape. A nurse came in and tied me up again, hooked me with the Intravenous therapy while inserting a sedative through my veins.” Sinfai (pseudonym), a woman diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) which are the effects of being abused by her parents, shares her experience when she was taken to the psychiatric hospital in a book published in 2019 called It’s all about the cut.

She wrote and published all of her experiences with the violence against her childhood and her mental disorders to share them with society. On the other hand, many child abuse cases are still hidden behind firmly-closed doors.

Parents are like angels to children. They are the birth giver, caretakers, and first teachers. People said parents are those people who unconditionally lead their child to a good life and will never hurt them. Every coin has two sides; there are many hurtful souls who are not brave enough to tell the world what they have experienced.

Punishing is violence

Children are usually punished by parents in order to stop their child from making a mistake. Violence is one of many ways that parents deal with their child, such as by hitting them. There are many levels of punishments, from verbal warnings to physical abuse.

A survey about domestic violence was created by students from the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication in 2019, and included  responses from 150 Thais between the ages of 20-30 in the central part of the country. 

The survey aims to show people’s experiences toward children who had been abused by their own parents and to reveal if there are people who are still being harmed. Another area that was explored was the consequences from such violence.   

Half of the respondents have faced domestic violence; these 75 people were abused by their parents. 

Unfortunately, 18 respondents have been abused more than four times per year. However, the other 56 have been abused on average only once a year.

16.5 percent, or 19 respondents, have been abused until they were injured, which shows that some parents have crossed the line and punished their child too harshly. Worse, four people had to go to the hospital because of this behaviour. On the other hand, the remaining 80 percent (92 respondents) have been abused just as a warning. 

Additionally, 112 of them agree that children who had dealt with  this kind of violence would have suffered consequences which affected their long-term behaviors.

Thai parenting culture and norms

Thai culture and norms play such an important role in shaping people’s attitudes on how they raise their children and the duty of children. 

“If you love your cow, tie it up. If you love your children, you have to spank them.” This traditional proverb is a controversial issue that Thai people have been arguing about. Some said it is ok to hit their children in order to teach them a good lesson. However, it can also be an excuse for child abuse.

The mindset that parents own children’s lives has been growing deeper and deeper in Thai society. Children are their property, and those young youths must show their gratitude to the person who gave birth to them. 

“Be grateful to your parents” is another classic sentence that all Thai people are familiar with. Thai society injected the ideology that children must always listen to their parents without questioning anything as a form of gratitude.

As Thai people have always been taught ‘If someone hits or threatens us, we need to report the assault’. However, it is different when it comes to violence in the family. Although the children are being abused, Buddhist doctrine stated that going against their parents is a sin. Therefore, parents usually threaten their child with those doctrines to keep them quiet.

When children were abused by their parents, the grateful culture will make them feel uncomfortable to report this issue or ask for suggestions from others. It is not easy for children to get away from somebody who was parenting them since they were born. Misconceptions have been passed on from generation to generation and became an excuse for child abuse. 

The captivated soul

According to the End Violence Thailand campaign by Unicef, many children in Thailand are victims of an abusive relationship with their parents. Most of the victims are scared to come out and speak up about their worst nightmares due to many factors. Some abusive parents have threatened them or injected the thoughts that “ Your grandmother also have done this to me since I was a kid, you should take it as well.”

What happens behind closed doors stays behind closed doors. However, many brave souls fight for their rights. Pornmanas Hapetch, a 21-years old transgender, was a victim of domestic violence by her abusive father.

Since Pornmanas was a child, she was physically abused harshly by her father — who she thought would care for her. “My childhood was not easy as other kids. A father who I think he would be a hero turned out to be my forever nightmare,” weeped Pornmanas.

Sadly, things became worse than she imagined. “Things got worst when my father found out that I don’t want to be a boy; instead, I wanted to be a transgender,” claimed Pornmanas. Her abusive relationship between her and her father became worse when he found out that she wanted a transition. Her father physically abused her by punching, slapping, and kicking her. “All my life and everything I do, I have to be aware of my father’s abusive behavior because everything I do, it seems like I triggered him just because I am transgender,” signed Pornmanas. 

Pornmanas became a victim to many kinds of physical abusive. Her most hurtful  experience was when she was in the car with her dad. The incident happened when she asked her dad to go home because she was tired. “I told my dad about how tired I was and wanted to go home. Somehow he got mad with what I was complaining about,” explained Pornmanas. Things got worse when she was complaining about her dad to take her home the second time. “Out of nowhere, he took off one of his shoes and directly slapped my face,” Pornmanas shakingly continued. She was numb for a moment, and her face was all red. “At that moment, it was when I realized I would never call this human being as my father again. He was a heartless devil in the form of a man,” claimed Pornmanas. There are many more unacceptable behaviors that her father did to her. She was thrown and slammed at by a chair, got slapped by a dumbbell, kicked and punched physically, and the worst part is he threatened her with a gun.

She endured the pain and kept it for many years until now. Also, she never reported it to the police or her close relatives. “The only thing that attaches me with him is money and my college tuition,” said Pornmanas. A young college transgender student mentioned that education is needed for her future and her dad is a major source of income in the family.

“It was tough and bad, but I survived it. Many victims would not make it, they would turn to something worse, like drugs or depression. But I have good motivation, my caring friends, and my idol, Poyd Treechada, who help me when I am down. I will not let the abuse get into me. I am a fighter,” Pornmanas proudly declared. 

Not all the victims can survive the trauma like Pornmanas. In other cases, some of the victims realized their mental and physical health disorders are related to the domestic violence they had experienced. Others do not.

“Once the child was having dinner, his father hit him hard in the back because he was a slow eater,” said Chanon Namchareonvut.

Chanon wrote an article on Pantip on October 10th, 2019, with the title called “Overly strict parenting = Raise risk of depression on their child and become indirect, killing them.” This article was about his friend, who had a depression disorder caused by his father’s violence against him since he was young. 

This victim always got straight As in every class when he was studying in university. However, he had no social activities with friends, had low self-confidence and could not make his own decisions. “Whenever he wanted to make his own decision, his father always got into his way and took control of his decision,” Chanon added.

When the worst thing happened, Chanon talked intentionally about the situation while the victim tried to commit suicide, “He posted a status on Facebook that he wanted to die, and he did it. However, his mother made it in time to save him from what he was doing and took him to see a psychiatrist.” 

Chanon also mentions the victim’s girlfriend, who was his first girlfriend while his father passed away. He believed that his girlfriend is the only happiness in his life. Even though his dad passed away, he still suffered from his depression disorder because of this dad, something he did not realize until he went to the doctor. 

The victim’s dad had a perspective that being a father, he can control everybody in the house. The dad firmly believed that he had this right. Once the victim faced some problems, he adopted his father’s personality and acted like him.

Chanon wrote this story on Pantip because he wants to raise awareness to all parents to not parent their child in the wrong way. 

Dictatorial parents may cause their child to suffer from physical and mental disorder. “Especially as a growing child, the child’s brain is not fully developed. Thus, it is very important for the parents to guide their child in the right way by letting them learn and experience things by themselves,” Chanon stated.

Short- and long-term effects to mental health

Dr. Songpoom Benyakorn, a specialist in Pediatrics, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry from Bumrungrad International Hospital, stated that it depends on how each defines the word “violence.” Is hitting considered as violent? If yes, there are so many cases in which children were victims of the violent action.

Violent acts involve physical force intended to hurt, injure, damage, and might even lead to kill someone or something, including sexual, psychological, and emotional.

Observation and follow-up on the victim’s behavior are the major factors to help children in recovery progress. How they act may reflect the fact that they faced violence in the family.

“We have to observe how stressed the child is and how have they changed from their regular behavior. For example, are they smiling less, playing less, or focusing less. These effects must be continuous, not just temporary,” said Dr. Songpoom.

By punishing the child, such actions by most parents are considered to be a form of child assault. The beginning of the violence often starts with the emotions in a general conflict between children and parents. For example, a mother tells her child to take a shower, but the child does not do it on the first time she asked. On the second and third times, the child still does not follow the mother until she starts to be angry and strongly drags the child’s arm. This kind of action made the children hurt and could lead them to retort to their parents with verbal aggression — children begin to be aggressive in their words and use inappropriate words or tone of voice. When the children react aggressively, parents tend to beget more violence against them and react by physically hitting them.

Violence against children has a long-term impact on children’s health and well-being. Dr. Songpoom stated that “More than ninety percent of children are adaptable.” It depends on each child’s emotional fundamentals if they see the action as just a temporary punishment or a continuous punishment. If it happened to the child who has a good mood base or has a good relationship with his/her parents, it would not result in a mental health problem. But if it happened to the child who has a bad mood base, such as a child who is neglected since a child or a child who has too much attention, he or she will not be able to adapt to the stress which could lead to a mental health problem.

According to the article ADHD or “Naughty Child Syndrome” (2014) from Bumrungrad.com by Dr. Supapanvadee Phuchareon, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a signal of mental effects which has three primary characteristics. The children with Hyperactivity characteristic may have trouble when they are sitting still or staying quiet when needed. Inattention characteristic will be easily distracted may have trouble maintaining their attention, concentrating, and staying on task. For Impulsivity characteristic in children, will have difficulty in taking turns, or letting others talk without interrupting them. A pediatrician can help cure illnesses by giving treatment and general advice.

“These children also have a chance to develop Excessive Alertness Paranoid,” said Dr. Songpoom. It is a mental illness in which patients overreact to things happening around them and overestimate the chances of a danger that will exceed themselves. Moreover, it can lead to the patient being too alert for fear, causing frequent fright and insomnia because of the effect from excessive alertness paranoid on the Autonomic Nervous System. For example, when a parent is approaching them, the children will think that the parent will come to hurt them.

In addition, from the book It’s all about the cut, Sinfai mentioned how she had been treated violently by her parents — both physically and mentally — that made her considered herself worthless. She explains the causes of her mental disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and how it affects her life in the long-term. Her childhood was filled with domestic violence, and both her mother and father abused her. She was often punished harshly for illogical reasons. For example, the father hit her with a belt because she broke a glass, and her mother hurled plates at her for no reason.

The BPD is a pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, poor self-image, and difficulties regulating one’s emotions. Sinfai had to be in a psychiatric hospital for several months for treatment.

Protection of children through law

“I received a lot of reports about physical abuse that family does against children due to gambling, drugs, or drinking,” said Pol. Lt. Col. Samer Yousamran, Administration and Crime Control Deputy Superintendent.

Domestic violence on a child is not only a crime but also a severe social problem that should be concerned by everybody in the society. “Children who have family problems and being abused tend to grow up to be an antisocial personality or obsessed with violence, which these children could be a social problems in the future,” said Pol. Lt. Col. Samer.

This serious issue can be controlled and addressed by the laws and punishment. Pol. Lt. Col. Samer also stated, “There are three main child protection acts in Thailand. First is the Child Protection Act, which currently covers children who are abused by other people.” As stated in Child Protection Act B.E. 2546, Section 26, the document revealed, “Under the provisions of other laws, regardless of a Child’s consent, a person shall not commit or omit acts which result in Torturing a Child’s physical or mental state.”

In case of committing an offense with someone in the family, it is considered a case of domestic violence. Pol. Lt. Col. Samer said, “The second is a Family Act, which will be the main armor to protect the children from domestic violence.” According to Victim of Domestic Violence Protection Act B.E. 2550, Section 4, it indicated, “Whoever conducts any act which is domestic violence is said to commit domestic violence conduct and shall be liable to imprisonment for a term of not exceeding six months or to a fine of not exceeding six thousand Baht or to both.”

Pol. Lt. Col. Samer also said that if the child still has not received the protection or proper safety, there is also a civil law that supports them. As reported by Thailand criminal code, Section 295, the act stipulated that “Whoever, causes injury to the other person in body or mind is said to commit bodily harm, and shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding two years or fined not exceeding four thousand Baht, or both.”

The law has been improved, adjusted, and reformed many times to make it suitable and proper in Thai culture and current situation. Nevertheless, there are a few gaps in the law. When the children were abused, they are unable to report that to the police by themselves due to their age. “The new law of domestic violence for a case of a young child, only the neighbor, other family members, or witnesses, can give the violence clues to the police directly by phone or Line application. Staff or social workers can come to help immediately, which children do not have to report at all. For the old law, people must report to the police in order to have the power to interfere,” said Manothai Promorch Na Ayutthaya, a 46-year-old lawyer.

He also added, “For older children, they can report the police by themselves; then any organization will help them at that time. It’s a legal offense, a criminal penalty. They just came to the police in each province, only report it and have a lawyer take care of it.”

Whoever commits an offense, that person must receive a punishment depending on the actions and intent. According to Pol. Lt. Col. Samer, whoever abused children, will have additional or a harder punishment, and most will be imprisoned. 

Foundation: Let us heal your wounds

Children who were abused didn’t be ignored. Ministry of Social Development and Human Security is protecting and promoting the right and also mental state problems. They provide contact and information about an organization and support the welfare services located in Thailand that could help those children who face violence.

Social Development and Human Security of each province are a part of Ministry Mental Health. This department is located in many parts of Thailand. They will take action as a protector that will help and treat children that face violent action in family. They can be contacted by calling 02-149-5555. It will directly contact the Ministry of Mental Health. 

The Center for the Protection of Children’s Rights Foundation is a children’s rights protection organization in Thailand. They help the children who face violence by following up the case and investigating the truth. Also, this foundation has an assistant called Guardian for Children who always keep track of the domestic violence toward children in Thai society via the community or social media. The main duty of these volunteers is to protect Thai children and make sure that they are living in a healthy and sustainable environment. This organization can be contacted by calling 02-412-1196. The foundation works with family members, relatives, foster families, medical professionals, and government officers to provide an assistance program for children.

Not only the victims can help themselves from the abusive situation, but other people who witness the situation can also help them out by contacting the organizations which are specialized to help those victims. There might be some information needed in order to help the organization, for example, identify the case information such as the victim’s name and address, who the abuser is, and how the victim is abused.

In the emergency case, Social Assistance Center Hotline 1300, under the control of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, provides help and advice available 24 hours. Whoever saw the victim can immediately call on this Hotline at any time needed. There are a lot of professional officers and social workers available to support and coordinate with other relevant agencies with the vision of fairly helpline service for powerful society.

Foundation: Let us heal your wounds

Children who were abused didn’t be ignored. Ministry of Social Development and Human Security is protecting and promoting the right and also mental state problems. They provide contact and information about an organization and support the welfare services located in Thailand that could help those children who face violence.

Social Development and Human Security of each province are a part of Ministry Mental Health. This department is located in many parts of Thailand. They will take action as a protector that will help and treat children that face violent action in family. They can be contacted by calling 02-149-5555 which will directly contact the Ministry of Mental Health. 

The Center for the Protection of Children’s Rights Foundation is a children’s rights protection organization in Thailand. They help the children who face violence by following up the case and investigating the truth. Also, this foundation has an assistant called Guardian for Children who always keep track of the domestic violence toward children in Thai society via the community or social media. The main duty of these volunteers is to protect Thai children and make sure that they are living in a healthy and sustainable environment. This organization can be contacted by calling 02-412-1196. The foundation works with family members, relatives, foster families, medical professionals, and government officers to provide an assistance program for children.

Not only the victims can help themselves from the abusive situation, but other people who witness the situation can also help them out by contacting the organizations which are specialized to help those victims. There might be some information needed in order to help the organization, for example, identify the case information such as the victim’s name and address, who the abuser is, and how the victim is abused.

In the emergency case, Social Assistance Center Hotline 1300, under the control of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, provides help and advice available 24 hours. Whoever saw the victim can immediately call on this Hotline at any time needed. There are a lot of professional officers and social workers available to support and coordinate with other relevant agencies with the vision of fairly helpline service for powerful society.

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