Earlier this month, the lush oasis of the Canadian ambassador's official residence was buzzing with a rare kind of energy. Sitting down were 25 young, strong and talented female leaders from 14 countries across South and Southeast Asia -- from Afghanistan to Nepal, from Maldives to Laos, in addition to Thailand.
Deep in discussion, they were delegates of FemParl, a gathering of female leaders in civil society to encourage and support active and equal women's participation in political and governance processes at national, regional and global levels.
At the Bangkok symposium -- the third FemParl and the first in Southeast Asia -- the women brainstormed four words that best described how they got to where they are today: faith, determination, resilience and solidarity, the qualities that had pushed them through a world dominated by gender inequality.
In most Asian countries, women are grossly under-represented at all levels of governance, especially in leadership positions.
Thailand, for example, ranks 132nd out of 186 countries on women in ministerial positions, according to the UN Women's analysis on 2017's Women in Politics. Out of the 27 ministries we have, there are merely three woman ministers. As for women parliamentarians, it's an even more depressing number. We rank 181st out of 193 countries, with only 12 women seated in 247 seats -- a sad number considering Thailand was one of the first Asian countries to grant women the right to vote.
Through activities with powerful female politicians like Canadian senator Marilou McPhedran and Her Excellency Ambassador Donica, together, they empower, give hope and address issues of discrimination and inequality that women face all over the world. From discussing how to manoeuvre their way through a man's world to learning how to build a common base among differences, the 25 young women from all different backgrounds now aim to break the glass ceiling in women's leadership.
Life talked to four impressive FemParl delegates on what they do and their ultimate goals as leaders.
Ranju Darshana Nepal
Ranju Darshana is proof that you're able to do anything you want, as long as you set your mind to it. Last year, at 21 years of age, she ran for the mayor's office of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. Though she didn't win, she did become the star campaigner of her party through her powerful rallies, inspiring hundreds and thousands of Nepali youth (who make up half of the country) to be interested in politics.
Now at 22, Ranju is currently the media chief and central committee member of the youth party she helped form -- Bibeksheel Nepali -- and she's done all of this while still studying for a bachelor's degree in developmental studies.
"I have been brought up by a single mother," she said. "A single child by a single mother in a society like Nepal, where I believe there is a patriarchy line overhand. I always have this thing of female power because I have seen my mother doing everything since childhood. I've never felt like there's anything women can't do, because it's just been all women. That's the invisible part that's always pushed me to work for my country."
Running for such a high position at such a young age, Ranju, expectedly, faced prejudice and backlash.
"There were some questions that I didn't appreciate, like 'When are you going to get married?'," she said, clearly frustrated. "Come on. Ask me questions related to the society -- how social dynamics are going, what should I do for education. It's my personal life and I've never heard them asking questions like that to any male politicians. But regardless of that, those questions will [continue]. We should always have an invisible barrier in front of us to filter out the words. It should never affect us. There were people passing jokes about me, saying, 'If she gets more than 100 votes, I'll cut out my ears'. When I actually got more than 23,000 votes, they were in shock. Though it didn't lead to victory, that was a respectable [number] for someone new -- someone young and also a woman."
And if any woman wants to dive into politics, follow Ranju's example and dive right in. "First of all, believe in yourself," she said with excitement. "No matter if your mother, father, if anyone doesn't believe in you, believe in yourself. There's this inner whisper that always says, 'Go ahead, go ahead', but we fail to listen to it because we're distracted. Talk to other women in the sector. They will always interact with you, and this interaction will lead you to move ahead. Engage in an organisation, raise an issue, just speak! Don't let your inner spirit down."
Busayapa Srisompong Thailand
Knowing full well the struggles of being an average woman, Busayapa helps those who have been even more unfortunate in life. During working hours, she's a lawyer who protects the rights of migrants and marginalised people on the borders of Thailand -- providing pro bono legal services to those faced with gender-based violence. In her free time, she works to combat gender-based violence in Thailand from the organisation she founded, called SHero.
"Being a woman, there are already challenges to bring legal procedures to a certain level [for abuse cases]," she explained. "If I'm able to solve problems for people who face more layers than that -- for example, women who don't have documents, who don't live alone, who don't have a career, who don't have money, who have children and issues -- I can find a way to make things softer for them."
Working hard to defend the rights of the marginalised and going head to head with uncooperative policemen, Busayapa has often been called fussy and demanding, with people often asking why she even cares about defending these groups and their rights.
"When I show up to fight a case, they'll go, 'Not her again', she said. It's a challenge that probably happens to everyone who helps these people. When I studied law, I truly believed in the justice system. Since I started working, I've slowly stopped believing in it."
Asked why she still keeps going if she's losing trust in the justice system, Busayapa says that she believes more in the power of ordinary women empowering each other to create change.
"I see that giving knowledge or empowering people in terms of knowledge of the law can [help]," she said. "Thai people have a culture of violence. When a case comes up, we can't ask for help because people see it as normal. If you want to solve it, you have to fix the culture. You have to fix it with kids from the new generation. When I work with them, they have the knowledge to work with their own communities and empower them, then a network is created. One day, the culture of violence will disappear, or at least decline in later generations. I don't hope for anything anymore with the older generation. Their boat has sailed. But with the new generation, the boat can still turn back. It's something that [pushes me] to work with vulnerable groups."
Mahjabeen Khaled Bangladesh
Growing up in Bangladesh's capital of Dhaka, Mahjabeen Khaled -- despite her family's political history -- never thought she would become a politician in her ancestral area of Islampur Upazila, but she's doing well so far.
Oozing grace and elegance, Mahjabeen is one of the 50 women members of parliament in Bangladesh. She uses her status to work extensively with women and mothers in her local communities on issues such as child marriage, radicalisation and alcoholism, because "family, especially mothers, is the main source that can bring change to their children". She works extensively to promote and develop existing diplomatic and political relations to Bangladesh as part of the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs.
Urged to go into politics five years ago after her uncle passed away, Mahjabeen tried for the nomination, yet she didn't get elected. "But we have 50 reserved seats which are especially given to women," she explained. "And that's where I came in. It is a platform for me to learn, because I was not into politics -- my family was. So I got to know about [my area], the people, their customs, the language. It's been five years now. It's been much easier."
Of course, going into the wolf's den of politics as a woman wasn't easy. "Men are not trustworthy," she laughs. "Women are more hardworking, energetic and trustworthy. They don't shift. Men come to you and they will promise you this and that, but the moment they leave, they change. Women, when they say they like you, they mean it. They won't suddenly say 'No, I don't like you anymore', unless you do something very drastic."
Facing insults especially from grassroots leaders when she first took the position, even members of Mahjabeen's family believed she wouldn't last seven days. "But I've survived five years. It's a challenge for me now. I will survive. I want to show them, and I will. I just want to work for the people. I can give a thousand times more and make the change that was the dream of my family -- my father -- and I wish to carry on that legacy."
Sutharee Wannasiri Thailand
Human rights specialist Sutharee Wannasiri helps the little people fight the big people in highly rigged and unfair battles.
As part of Fortify Rights, a non-governmental organisation which investigates and documents human rights violations, she has been working closely with villagers from Loei and their fight against a gold-mining company situated in their area.
It's a simple matter taken too far. Villagers, who want to keep their water sources and crops pollution-free, called for the closing down of the mine. In return, they faced masked men assaulting villagers at night, criminal-defamation charges filed by mine staff and government officials locking villagers up. Worst of all, rat poison was found in the water sources and blood of the villagers.
"So I feel this is an important issue," said Sutharee. "Many people don't see these small villagers standing up and fighting for their rights ... It turns out that the people who have more power and assets use the law as their own tool to stop the activities of normal citizens, who have fewer resources."
Investigating and collecting these human rights abuses, Sutharee and her team present their findings and solutions to government officials, international organisations and other organisations involved, where of course she has to face problems of her own.
"Many who work in investigations or politics are much older [than I am], and they see me as a child and give me no respect and trust. I feel that I do have the abilities, knowledge and skills equal to men who have worked as long as I have. When I ask important questions on stage, they won't answer by talking about how I'm younger, or how I'm a woman. They don't respect the subject matter. But I have to insist they answer the question and stick to the topic. We should use the subject matter and our skills to show whether we're doing well or not -- not looking to see if we're a man or a woman."
To let the story get to a wider audience, Sutharee also promotes villagers, especially women, to speak out about their problems with their own voice on a larger scale, whether it be talking with ambassadors or international organisations.
"What I want to see is a culture that respects human rights in Thailand," she said. "This is something that I want to build and push in order to see this happen in Thai society -- to respect human rights, and to respect human dignity at an equal level."
