Women's rights groups are calling for better treatment by state officials for female victims of violence and more supportive measures to help them seek justice and cope with their ordeals.
A number of women's right advocacy groups led by the Association for Promotion of the Status of Women yesterday submitted a seven-point proposal to the Social Development and Human Security Ministry.
"Most problems of violence against women are left unresolved mainly because of a lack of faith in judicial procedures," said Nathaya Thongsiket, director of social welfare at Don Muang Emergency Home, a shelter for victims of violence against women.
Ms Nathaya said that in the proposal the women's groups want the government to ensure that state officials, including the police, take proper action when receiving a complaint.
The groups are also calling for state-run hospitals to provide free DNA tests to pregnant women whose male partners deny paternity as well as a special fund to be set up to assist victims of violence in their legal fight and in rebuilding their lives afterwards.
As part of the drive, shelters for the victims of such violence are being urged to offer guidance regarding legal recourse, their property and welfare.
An unnamed 13-year-old girl, who is now in the care of a special emergency unit, said after she was raped two months ago while staying alone in a room on a construction site, her father took her to lodge a complaint with the police in the hope of bringing the culprit to justice.
However, after a less than warm welcome, the investigators didn't even take her to the hospital to undergo a physical check-up, she said, adding that the police told her to go on her own.
"The police reacted very rudely to me when I went to file a complaint. One of them smashed his fist down on the desk, raised his voice and made clear his unwillingness to investigate the rape," said the girl.
"Two months have passed now and there has not been any progress in the investigation. All I want them to do for me is to find the rapist and arrest him."
Another unnamed victim of violence against women shared her nightmare of having to deal with a different form of violence that occurred in her own family when she was 14 years old.
The now 36-year-old woman said she was raped by her own biological brother but her parents didn't believe her, which resulted in a serious dispute in the family that led to her running away from home.
