Umphiem Mai-Grandpa Saw Pho De is worried when he sees his six year old granddaughter and 11 year old grandson bring things like plastic jewelry into the house he knows they can’t afford to buy. That’s because there has been a sharp increase in crimes of theft by young children at Umphiem Mai, the Karen refugee camp, in Tak Province, northern Thailand, where the family lives.

The 70 year has been trying his best to care for his grandchildren since his son died and their mother left the camp several years ago. He told the Karen Information Center in a recent interview he can give them rice and wash their clothes, but, cannot pay their school fees or give them pocket money to buy snack foods, which camp children eat a lot of.

He said he is concerned the children have other things he hasn’t seen yet, that could be stolen. He said he is concerned about their futures.

Officials told KIC this family’s situation is not unusual in the camp, located near Mae Sot, that is home to 20,000 mostly Karen refugees, as well as residents from 14 other ethnic groups.

They noted that there were 10 cases of theft by children reported in the camp in 2008. But, there have been more than 10 cases in just the first six months of this year.

They also said the children have begun stealing more expensive items, such as CD and MP4 players, cell phones and vegetables, whereas the earlier cases usually involved theft of snack foods.

So, camp officials and members of community organizations are working together to determine the underlying causes of the increase and find solutions to prevent the thefts from escalating.

Saw Htoo Kleh, of the Sexual and gender Based Violence CBO said in an interview said many of the children who commit the crimes are living under the supervision of elderly grandparents, who cannot discipline them or provide for their needs because they have no jobs and rely on the camp food ration.

Peer pressure is also a contributing factor when small children are influenced by friends who are stealing to feed themselves and obtain things, such as toys, their family cannot provide.

Officials say children who don’t have money for food and toys will turn to theft to provide them if they see other children with them.

Saw Mahn Ya, chairman of the Karen Youth Organization said, "One problem is that there is a difference in the social status among parents and people responsible for the children. If parents have higher levels of education, these parents can get a job in hospital, school or NGO in the camp. Therefore, they can earn some money and can provide money to their children for buying snacks. If parents have no education, they depend on the monthly food ration from the camp.”

He said this disparity can contribute to bad behavior in children.

Camp leaders are also concerned that children who do not attend school are more likely to commit crimes like theft.

KYO chairman, Saw Hkun Mahn Ya, said, "Children between 5 and 18 must attend school in 2010. We suggested to the camp authorities that children who don't go to school should not receive the food ration. By doing this, children will improve their education which can lead to good behavior."

Saw Htoo Kleh also suggested the camp build a children’s care center and provide full-time staff to care for the needs of camp children.

Camp leaders said they are waiting for a response from a request through the Karen Refugee Committee for assistance with such a project from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The ability of families and camp leaders to meet the needs of the children will make a difference in weather the increase in crimes by children will continue.

We at the KIC believe the construction of a child care center would make this crime disappear.

The future success of any society depends on the involvement and contribution of the younger generation. And, the care and development of children will affect how they contribute to that success as adults.

The increase in crimes of theft by children at Uhmpiem Mai can be dealt with in a constructive way as camp leaders and community organizers work together to meet the needs of camp children.

Note: this article came out of the recent Feature Writing workshop at KIC. It is a group effort of workshop participants Nang Phaw Gay, Nang Htoo Htoo San, Saw Thein Myint, Saw Timathi and Saw Kar Hsu Nyar, who worked together to collect information to produce this article. The article was written by Saw Kar Hsu Nyar.