In the age of #MeToo, Thais have become more aware of issues like sexual violence and female empowerment. This is evinced by high-profile cases like that of Nitiwadee "Mor Nim" Pucharoenyos, a victim of domestic violence who was a few months ago spared the death penalty when the appeals court found her not guilty of killing her estranged husband back in 2013, while her mother was sentenced to life imprisonment for plotting the murder out of love for her daughter. It seems like a lot of females have started waking up to the idea of gender justice.
This includes bubbly Chiang Rai-born teens Chaya and Suwannee, who attended the recent International Day of the Girl camp and forum, which was organised as part of Plan International Global Campaign and their Thailand Country Office's key programme area on Gender Justice and Woman's Empowerment. The camp saw attendants aged between 14 and 19 years old.
"This experience only served to solidify my belief that as a girl I can choose who I want to be and what my basic rights are," said 14-year-old Chaya.
Held between Oct 6 and 9, the event attracted over 30 young ladies from different parts of the country. The objective was also to raise awareness on the issue of Child Early and Forced Marriages, which often result in holding girls back from gaining access to opportunities that would help them reach their full potential.
During the camp, participants reflected on their experiences and were encouraged to share their ideas on the topic "On The Pathway To Gender Equality". Here they learned about such issues as power within, power analysis, gender equality, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics, identity and intersectionality.
"Before I joined the camp, I knew that there would be many groups of ethnic girls participating, so I wanted to learn about their cultures," Chaya recalled. "They shared about their culture and I found that there is still some inequality between women and men in their cultures too.
"I learned how everyone has equal rights to choose how they desire to live their life, especially marginalised groups such as the LGBTI community. I want to share this with my classmates and friends in school -- that everyone is equal, whoever you are, what age you are or what gender you are, we are all equal. I want them to know that it is their right to choose what is good for them, and that they can do whatever they feel comfortable doing."
Sixteen-year-old Suwannee shared similar sentiments.
"I was eager to learn about my rights even though I know we have them. However, there are times as young adults when we are discouraged to use them to the fullest by the environment we are in. Attending this camp has empowered me to further pursue the rights I am entitled to."
Suwannee lives in a small and remote village in Chiang Rai where most of the people who have power are men. Women, on the contrary, have no rights to make their own decisions or express opinions. After the camp, Suwannee hopes to share her knowledge she gained so that people in her neighbourhood realise that women also have the power within.
"We have to realise that we have rights so we can than take the next step," said Suwannee.
Despite efforts by NGOs, the problem regarding gender-based violence still continues to spiral out of control in society. According to Supensri Pungkhoksung, women's-rights advocate and director at the Social Equality Promotion foundation, violence against women today is at an all-time high, and thanks to social media we know that a significant number of perpetrators are from the middle- to upper-middle-class echelons of Thai society.
Thailand has strong laws against gender-based violence, but victims still find it difficult to report such crimes to law enforcement.
"What we lack is implementing these laws and ensuring the perpetrators are brought to justice," said Supensri.
"Women need to be trained to understand and know what to do if they are violated. Otherwise you feel shocked and vulnerable because you are not able to protect yourself. In this state of mind you feel paralysed. Even if you desire to use your rights by filing a complaint of gender-based violence at the police station, the first thing you are asked is if you had witness or evidence. It is as if you are being victimised all over when you have to prove that you have been victimised. If you have obvious signs of bruises it's the only time you will be cared for."
Supensri said law enforcement should not only bring justice for the victims but also work closely with the perpetrators to ensure they don't become repeat offenders. Police officers need to be trained on the root issues involving gender-based crimes and on how to deal with victims from the moment they enter their precinct.
"We also find issues with the way our justice system sometimes deals with such crimes. I have observed in certain domestic-violence cases that the court will verbally castigate the offender's actions and then order him to bow and apologise to the victim. And that is it. Offenders need to be made accountable for their actions."
Supensri believes that to make a marked impact on this issue, campaigning and law implementation are not sufficient. Rather, empowerment and support groups should be promoted so that they can learn from women who have gone through similar experiences.
"Victims need to know they are not alone, and can find solace in the fact that they can weather this out with the help and support of people who have been in their shoes. They should know that there are agencies that are there to support them through both the entire process, from the legal system to [attending to] their psychological needs."
While Thai women are often reluctant to share with strangers what goes on behind closed doors, learning from the experiences of an older sister-like figure can be empowering.
"Some of the victims have been abused to the point that their self-worth has been broken. She may easily be enticed into forgiving him for his repeated offences against her when he threatens her that no one can hold him accountable because he has a high position in society," Supensri added.
"She might know her rights but is not emotionally prepared to face off with the perpetrator in court. During this stage, a support group such as this can play a pivotal role in preparing her emotionally to face the hurdles that might arise on her way to getting justice for herself."
Wassana Kaonoparat, director at the Centre for the Protection of Children's Rights Foundation, said to break the cycle of gender violence it is imperative for parents to become proper role models for their male children.
"With children it is monkey-see, monkey-do. One of the biggest reasons male perpetrators feel entitled to subdue women with violence is largely because of the family environment they were raised in. Violence begets violence.
"In our workshops with young boys we found that when we talk to them about gender violence they say they are not like those types of men that inflict pain on women. The reason we show them these facts of life is so they realise just what type of behaviour is unacceptable when it comes to the way they act out their anger towards a physically weaker gender.
"We teach them to analyse and solve problems pertaining to such matters. We teach them the dangers that come with being born male and female. Both the victim and perpetrator have to be given the opportunity to learn to solve the problematic issues that place them in a vulnerable position. One has to first admit this is an issue before it can be rectified."
