Thailand

Thailand has a constitution that guarantees equality between women and men and includes provisions to promote the equal employment of women and men. The CEDAW Committee commended Thailand in its efforts to implement CEDAW and the BPfA that have had a visible impact on the policies and laws of Thailand and in the realisation of gender equality in the country. The Committee noted the legislative measures on trafficking, prostitution, nationality, employment and child labour and the compulsory education policies that have been adopted, which indicate that the Government of Thailand has made serious efforts to integrate the standards of the Convention into domestic laws and policies.

However, challenges highlighted include the continued prevalence of traditional, discriminatory attitudes toward women and the under representation of women in politics and decision-making structures, including the judiciary. Committee recommended that measures be undertaken, including sensitisation programmes and that school curricula be reviewed and revised to showcase gender progressive views and action. Other recommendations of the Committee include amendment of Thai penal code to ensure that sexual harassment, rape, domestic violence and marital rape were criminalised; and the enactment of specific anti-discrimination legislation that would allow women to vindicate the right to equality as guaranteed in both the Thai constitution and CEDAW.

Programme activities in Thailand address the gap between women’s de jure equality and the de facto challenges they continue to face. NGO-government and other civil society partnerships will be explored, involving initiatives to implement the legislative changes the CEDAW Committee has recommended, including advocacy for the withdrawal of the reservation to CEDAW on some family issues. Collaboration with the government is aimed at building capacity through existing institutions for CEDAW implementation and addressing the underlying factors perpetuating women’s subordination, in general and the use of Convention-based protections in court, in particular. . In Thailand, women’s NGOs have focused intensively on violence, trafficking, and prostitution, but most have not addressed these issues through CEDAW. Programmes with NGOs are aimed at strengthening their use of CEDAW in these areas and exploring ways to respond to challenges using the human rights framework. Substantive areas for piloting will look at methods for ensuring the representation of women in decision-making positions.

Increasing Women’s Participation in Politics and Decision – Making at Tambon Administrative Organisations (TAOs) in Thailand, May – July 2005

As part of the national campaign for the upcoming elections of over 3,600 TAOs nationwide, t he CEDAW SEAP in Thailand has technically and financially supported a series of training workshop from May 21 to July 22 for about 800 rising stars or potential women leaders in 10 selected provinces who are interested in running the TAO elections.

The training workshop has been carried out by the Thai Women Parliamentarian Caucus (TWPC] with the aim at equipping women leaders with the foundational knowledge for the meaningful participation towards substantive gender equality at the decision-making process; increasing women’s representation in TAOs through awareness raising; and providing them with necessary knowledge and tactics to prepare themselves to run and win.

This would untie local women leaders from the long confinement in private space to participate meaningfully in public especially in the political domain at local level which is the decision-making body responsible for overall social and economic development at the grassroots level.

International Women’s Day, 2005
“Celebrating Our Gains, Accelerating Change: Contribution from
CEDAW Southeast Asia Programme in Thailand”
Bangkok, Thailand, 3-4 March, 2005

Over 1,500 Thai grassroots woman leaders nation-wide gathered around to celebrate the International Women’s Day. The 2-day gathering was organized from 3 to 4 March 2005 by the Gender Development Research Institute (GDRI) in Bangkok under the joint support from UNIFEM through CEDAW Southeast Asia Programme. It aimed at 1) congratulating the newly elected women Member of Parliaments and seeking their full support and commitments on legislative changes and affirmative measures to increase women’s representation in politics and administration; 2) establishing linkages between the newly elected women MPs and women's organizations to ensure the full support to accelerate the changes; 3) raising awareness of the participants and the public on the leading roles and contribution of women in economic, social and political development of the country.