The hardships of some Thai children

AT one of the grade schools I visited in America, the boys' toilet stalls didn't have doors. They were surplus to demand. It prevented a boy from hiding or from doing anything he shouldn't be doing.

But some boys (and even parents) had complained that lack of privacy had compromised their lives!

In a school I worked at briefly in Thailand, the authorities had decided, reluctantly, to remove ALL doors from the boys' toilets (and the outdoor ones from the girls') because children had been attacked with weapons while in compromising positions.

The children were taught to scream if anything untoward happened, and anyone hearing was primed to sound the alarm and rush to help.

The girls (many of whom were frightened, though few let this on) were suffering female guards patrolling their lavatories and washrooms.

NO-ONE had complained. They'd accepted the necessary restrictions because of the horrible annoyances they'd sometimes endured.

It's the same the world over. It put things into prespective for me though. I was full of admiration for the way the Thai children had adapted to some minor changes to avoid nightmares.

But it was churlish for the pre-teen boys in a 'first world' country to complain that they were suffering, simply becasue other pre-teen boys might see them using a toilet!