Organizer: Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand - FCCT
Description:
Allegations of sexual assault and rape against a senior member of the Democrat Party have sparked a new #MeToo conversation in Thailand, raising questions about the prevalence of rape and gender-based violence (GBV) across Thai society.
Prinn Panitchpakdi, former deputy leader of the Democrat Party, resigned on April 14 in the wake of sexual assault and indecency allegations levied against him by an 18-year-old woman. Since then, at least a dozen more women have filed their own sexual assault claims against the politician. The fallout from these accusations has not limited itself to Panitchpakdi. Jurin Laksanawisit, the Democrat Party leader, resigned as chair of the government-led committee promoting gender equality and three senior Democrats resigned from the party.
Sexual assault has long been a hot topic in Thai politics, with one of the Bad Student protests in November 2021 focusing on sexual abuse in schools. Another protest in October 2021, organized by the Feminist Liberation Front, highlighted (among other things) the sexual harassment and assault that pro-democracy activists faced within the movement.
Reliable data touching on country-wide GBV is hard to come by. For example, there are few statistics on rape in Thailand, although surveys conducted both within and outside of the country suggest that between 15 and 20% of Thai women have faced gender-based or intimate partner violence. As the majority of cases go undocumented, this figure is likely to be the tip of the iceberg.
Speakers:
Busayapa Srisompong (Best), human rights lawyer and founder of SHero. SHero works on de-normalizing GBV in Thailand by providing pro-bono legal aid to survivors, empowerment programs and policy advocacy.
Chompoonute Nakornthap (Cherie), policy advisor for the Minister of Social Development and Human Security. Cherie is also Secretary for the Committee on LGBT and Human Rights for the Democrat Party.
Wipaphan Wongsawang, founder of Thai Consent. Thai Consent works towards creating a culture of consent in Thailand through its forums and by producing media promoting understanding and knowledge surrounding sexual assault, as well as sharing anonymized stories from sexual assault survivors.
Tida Yingcharoen, director of the policy center at Thai Sang Thai Party.
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