BridgeWorks helps children that are all high risk kids. In our experience, high risk means that the chance of them being exploited, trafficked, enslaved, abused, ending up in jail, or dying young from AIDS, drugs, etc is very high. Many of these children and youth have already experienced some level of these abuses. Providing safe pathways to help them avoid these abuses before things get worse is a high priority.

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How do we assess the risk?
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Generally speaking, risk is associated with protection. A child whose parents love, protect and are committed to the well-being of their child, we consider at low risk. A child who has the protection of a local community, or authorities, is usually low risk.
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Some factors that contribute to high risk include:
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– The area that the child comes from (ie: is it a high child trafficking area, widespread drug trafficking and use, level of corruption in local authorities, etc?)
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– Their family / relatives’ situation, and the type of relationship they have with their family (it is still a widespread belief and practice in hilltribe communities that adult relatives have the right to sell their children, even though this has been illegal in Thailand for over 100 years now).
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– The level of obligation the child feels towards complying with negative or abusive expectations & demands from family members and relatives (family and community comes before the individual in most Asian communities).
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– What their siblings are currently doing (especially if older – are they in jail, dead, sold, etc?)
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– What abuse / exploitation has the child / youth already suffered?
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– The current children’s home they are in (is it a home that abuses, exploits, or does not protect and care for the welfare of the child?)

– Current relationships that may exploit the vulnerability of an at-risk child (eg – an older “boyfriend” trying to convince a young girl to escond with him).
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Occasionally we are contacted by youth who want to live at “BridgeWorks”, but not all are high risk, and some have other options.
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At this stage we have limited space in rental accommodation, so we try to find other alternatives for them first. We assess based on the above factors. We do not accept low risk, but high risk with no options we consider urgent, and cannot turn away.
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So when you are looking at the photos of the smiling children and youth in the BridgeWorks and Dinki newsletters; remember what their background is. Remember where they are headed if they don’t receive the protection and help that they need.
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Understand that though things may appear bright and hopeful now, the road ahead of them is going to still be perilous, and not all will make it through.
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Pray for them when you think of them!
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