Sompop Jantraka
Encyclopedia
Sompop Jantraka is a Thai community activist who for more than twenty years has worked to rescue children from child prostitution.
In 1988, after earning his bachelor's degree in political science from Chiang Mai University
, Sompop became a researcher for the International Labor Organization, and worked with a journalist investigating prostitution in Thailand.
In 1992, DEP became a part of a larger umbrella organization, Development and Education Programme for Daughters and Communities
(DEPDC). DEPDC operates an emergency shelter for abused or abandoned children, and for girls who have left prostitution. DEPDC also offers education programs and human rights training for indigenous people and undocumented migrants.
In 1988, after earning his bachelor's degree in political science from Chiang Mai University
Chiang Mai University
Chiang Mai University is a public research university in northern Thailand founded in 1964 with a strong emphasis on engineering, science, and agriculture. Its instructional mission includes undergraduate, graduate, professional and continuing education offered through resident instruction...
, Sompop became a researcher for the International Labor Organization, and worked with a journalist investigating prostitution in Thailand.
Development and Education Programme for Daughters and Communities
In 1989, Sompop founded the Daughters Education Programme (DEP) to prevent vulnerable girls being forced into the sex industry by funding their education. Working with a network of volunteers in villages in northern Thailand, DEP intervenes with girls and their families before they are sold to brothel owners, providing them free vocational education so they can be self-reliant and economically independent.In 1992, DEP became a part of a larger umbrella organization, Development and Education Programme for Daughters and Communities
Development and Education Programme for Daughters and Communities
Development and Education Programme for Daughters and Communities is a non-profit, community based NGO working in Thailand to prevent child exploitation and prostitution and defending vulnerable minor's rights...
(DEPDC). DEPDC operates an emergency shelter for abused or abandoned children, and for girls who have left prostitution. DEPDC also offers education programs and human rights training for indigenous people and undocumented migrants.
Mekong Youth Net
Sompop resigned as director of DEPDC in 2007 to focus on anti-trafficking programs throughout the Greater Mekong sub-region, including Laos, Vietnam, Burma, Cambodia and Yunnan Province in China. Through the Mekong Youth Net, grassroots youth leaders have been brought together to provide relief and solutions to exploitation of girls among the hill tribes and minority communities of the region.Honors and awards
- Ashoka Fellow (1994)
- Time/Asia Hero of the Year (2002)
- In March 2008, Sompop Jantraka was awarded the Wallenberg Medal by the University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
.