Thailand’s Hmong women struggle for their rights caught between tradition and modernity
Bangkok (AsiaNews) - Tradition and modernity, protection of ancient costumes and the search for a model that is in step with the changes imposed by the current era and the evolution of society, the status of women in a structure still dominated by a patriarchal system. These are some of the many challenges facing the members of the ethnic Hmong community in Thailand and in other countries in South-East Asia (Vietnam, Laos) and in China.
This is why a Bangkok based association led by Rasamee Torsirichuchai, is working for the integration and rehabilitation of women belonging to ethnic minorities. The Thai activist recently launched a project entitled "Lessons for a change in the customs of the Hmong", targeting women.
Among the most controversial issues is the status of separated women within the Hmong culture and society in Thailand, combined with the still widespread practice of "blind marriage " in which the bride is not given the option of choosing a future husband. In case of divorce, the woman would face even greater difficulties because, according to tradition, the return home to the parents is a source of misfortune for the entire family.
Moreover, even if the parents were willing to welcome the daughter back, the woman would still be prohibited from ceremonies, festivals and family celebrations. Hence the decision to flee from their villages to the city, looking for work and emancipation; others, however, decide to convert to Christianity. Finally, there are cases of women who choose to commit suicide because they can not imagine any future.
Faced with these personal and family tragedies, Ms. Rasamee Torsirichuchai has decided to promote in a project of assistance and recovery. Traditionally, she explains a Hmong woman is considered the "property" of her father first, then her husband, and finally her children if she is widowed. "For this reason - she adds - it is necessary to review some customs, in the face of a constantly changing society." Among the many initiatives, there is one entitled "Take home a daughter" which aims to encourage the return to the family of young separated women. The pilot project was launched in Nan Province, northern Thailand, near the border with Laos.
The campaign launched in favor of Hmong women intends to achieve certain objectives: to encourage the return of divorced, widowed or abandoned daughters to their family of origin; to encourage parents to accept a pre-marital pregnancy of a daughter; allow parents without sons to be welcomed into the homes of female children; foster the creation of a new family for women left alone and finally, resolve the question of the status of children of a divorced woman, a widow or a woman who for any reason is without a male companion.
The Hmong are an ethnic group that lives mainly in the mountainous areas of southern China and in remote areas of Southeast Asia such as Vietnam (persecuted because they were considered "allies" of the Americans during the war), Myanmar and northern Thailand .
During the Indochina War (particularly in Vietnma) they gave help to the US and at the end of the conflict, many emigrated to America. Those who are left, are living below the poverty level; as has been the case with other ethnic minorities, their greater contact with Christianity has led to a higher number of conversions.
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