Bangkok and domestic violence: ‘Just be quiet’

A report by Fortify Rights and the Social Equality Promotion Foundation denounces the extent of the phenomenon (1 in 6 Thai women report having been a victim) but also the prejudices that prevent it from being combated. ‘Laws are not enough, it is also necessary to guarantee access to their tools’.

Bangkok (AsiaNews) - Official statistics indicate that one in six Thai women in a heterosexual relationship has suffered some form of domestic violence. This figure, which is probably an underestimate due to the persistent difficulty many have in sharing what they are victims of, represents 65% of all reported cases in the country. Furthermore, as confirmed by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, 35% of those suffering aggression in the family are Thai in the 10 to 20 age group, therefore cases that can be identified as child abuse.

Faced with what many define as an ‘epidemic of violence’, the Thai judicial system doesn't seem able to guarantee justice for the victims or to protect them adequately, even when it comes to prevention. Many magistrates and lawyers often lack adequate knowledge of the legal instruments available. As activist Supensiri Puengkhoksung confirms, ‘domestic violence is a solvable problem and justice is a fundamental right, but the law must first and foremost guarantee the possibility of access to its tools’.

For this reason, the report released yesterday by the human rights organisation Fortify Rights and the Thai foundation for the legal protection of women Social Equality Promotion Foundation, of which Supensiri is the director, suggests that ‘the government of Thailand should develop and apply rights-based and victim protection legislation that ensures their access to justice and effective remedies’.

Significant in the report is the account of the police's response to a young survivor referred to as ‘Wow’, when after years of abuse by her parents she finally decided to report them: ‘After listening to my mother, they told me that I was their daughter and that I shouldn't fight them but listen to them’. ‘Behave like a good daughter and keep calm: when they get angry, just be quiet’.

The urgent need for more adequate legislation is not only apparent from the statistics (which in themselves should be an indictment and a prompt for the authorities to act), but also from the gaps in the law and the realisation that the social conventions that often regulate relationships in society violate the obligations the country has taken on before the international community. Starting with its participation in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women adopted in 1979, of which Thailand is a signatory and which has a Thai representative among the 23 members of its Committee of Experts.