Eventually human trafficking gangs recruited Fil to beg for them, offering him a place to sleep — albeit crammed in a small room with other child beggars — and regular meals. Life under the control of the gangs, who Fil knows little about apart from the fact they were Cambodian, was better then being with his mother. Still, he saw none of the money he earned, forced to turn over all the proceeds of his street begging to his exploiters.
The boy worked more than 12 hours straight per day in different locations in Pattaya. Although young, he understood he was in Thailand illegally and could be sent back to Cambodia any day, which is why he obeyed his "boss" and followed his instructions carefully.
“He told us to stay away from the police,” Fil recalled. “I couldn’t go back to Cambodia. Even though I worked very hard on the street, they took better care of me than my mother.”
Eventually Fil was picked up by Pattaya's Child Development and Welfare Centre. He now attends school and will remain at the centre until he is of legal age when his future, like other trafficked children in Thailand, becomes unclear. He could be sent back to Cambodia, or try and get residential status, or simply "disappear" into the anonymous workforce like so many of his compatriots.
When Spectrum spoke to Fil at the centre, his eyes darted from side to side and he seemed disengaged. When asked what he wants to do when he grows up, Fil simply replied that he wants to stay at home. When asked if he wanted to return to Cambodia, he said: "No, I want to stay here.