The role of youth in shifting gender norms in Thailand

Public Attitudes towards Gender Equality

The “Public Attitudes towards Gender Equality” survey was carried out in correspondence with the agreed framework in “Thailand National Standard and Indicators on Gender Equality” developed by Office of Women’s Affairs and Family Development, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security in Thailand . This survey was geared towards understanding

• Standard 1: Equality of Human Dignity
• Standard 2: Gender Equality from the Social Context in the aforementioned framework. http://www.gender.go.th/publication/book/เจตคติประชาชน_attitude_2555.pdf

Implementation and Recommendations from the survey

1. Disseminate the survey results and its relevance to gain support from all parties in society.
2. Provide data and relevant facts regarding the appropriate roles of public media and gender. Also, aim to attract people in the media sector to be proactive and gender sensitive by developing partnership with the media.
3. Work closely with people in the media sector who have direct influence and impact on the masses, especially disadvantaged groups in order to ensure that all have the right to understand gender equality.
4. Organize meetings with concerned parties about violence against women in order to enable them to truly understand and appreciate gender equality.
5. Develop creative toolkits with related themes to promote gender equality and distribute them to schools. Work closely with all media support people to alter negative public attitudes towards gender equality.

http://www.gender.go.th/publication/book/เจตคติประชาชน_attitude_2555.pdf

Youth Contribution for Establishing Gender Norms in Thai society

Allowing young people to develop greater understanding and awareness of their rights and to think more critically would also enable them to have a more meaningful participation and contribution to ideas on children’s lives. It is slowly becoming more common for children and youth to give their opinions on issues related to their own situation. Nevertheless, some local and international NGOs working on children’s rights and on adolescent health have introduced good practices as well as useful tools to ensure young people’s meaningful participation. The new Children and Youth Development Act established by the Children and Youth Councils provides greater opportunities to develop the skills and capacity of young people and engage them in decisions that affect their lives and society. Participation of children from vulnerable and excluded groups as well as equal representation should be stressed in order to have a powerful and practical impact. Additionally, equally important is the awareness among the wider public of the participation of children from vulnerable groups and the promotion of gender equality.http://www.unicef.org/thailand/1045_UNICEF_Final_row_res_230911.pdf

Children and Youth Participation in the Media

Children’s access to information, often through different forms of media, is also an important enabling factor for active citizenship and participation. The Foundation for Child Development and other NGOs have been working to promote children’s participation in the media through different programmes. With this Network 154 Children and youth can communicate on sensitive issues, such as HIV prevention, drug abuse and sexuality, in their own language and style, which makes the information more accessible to their peers. The Thai Health Fund Foundation has supported programs, such as the Media and the Well-being of Children and Youth, which enable formation of various media and youth networks. These networks engage children in program production and monitoring to ensure better quality and more appropriate content for children and youth. http://www.unicef.org/thailand/1045_UNICEF_Final_row_res_230911.pdf

Global Youth Participation Project in Thailand

  The YPP Thailand team organised a Forum Meeting with their five local organisations on 29th of June. The YPP National Coordinator, Khun Katesanee Chantrakul, worked with the two Youth Motivators, Ms. Narissara Yebeo and Ms. Sayumporn Kirinimit, to help them prepare for their role. They gave an excellent presentation on the roles and responsibilities of the Youth Motivators in the Thailand YPP. The representatives of the five local partner organisations actively participated in the meeting, raising many key issues related to their partnership in the YPP through the support of the Peer Support Programs in their schools and shelters. Some of the key issues that were discussed related to: the selection criteria of the Peer Supporters, child protection issues related to the Peer Support Programme, roles and responsibilities of the local partners in implementing the Peer Support Programmes and the sustainability of the programme beyond the first year.http://www.ecpat.net/ei/Programmes_activity.asp?groupID=2

Youth Network for Thai Education (YNTE)

Youth Network for Thai Education (YNTE) was the Thai Students Network that made others aware of the Problems of The Thai Education System and those who were affected by education policies of the Thai Ministry of Education.

Thai Students Network has two main objectives:

1. To develop the Thai Education System by encouraging young students’ participation
2. To contribute and support young people looking to solve education problems by research and studying social issues

Reason’s for its Establishment

1. Observational study in Thai Education for the benefit of youth and society.
2. Protecting youth and society from unfair education system.
3. Disseminating various knowledge fields to youth.
4. To achieve educational equality.
5. It calls on anyone involved to attend to youth education.
6. Creating social awareness for youth in order to makes others aware of the impact of policies.
7. Building a strong network of Thai Students to take care of themselves and their nation.
8. To be more involved in education reform.
9. To create an event space in order to meet about education issues.
10. To study problems of social democracy and to respond correctly.https://www.facebook.com/ynte.th?ref=ts

The Master Plan for Promoted in Gender Equality

The Master Plan for Promoted Gender Equality falls under the Feminine Development Plan, which is a part of the plan of developing economic and social goals No. 11. pg. 2012–2516. In 2000, the members of UN jointly announced the ‘Millennium Development Goals: MDGs’ which defined eight main goals and 48 indicators. One particularly important goals was goal number three, which is to support the equality of gender and to promote the female role; The goal goes on to state four important indicators of Gender equality –

1. The proportion of women to men in primary school, secondary school, and in higher education.
2. The rate of female literacy compared to males from age 15-24.
3. The proportion of females who work and earn a salary outside the agricultural sector.
4. The proportion of females in parliament.

• Thailand has already reached the goal of gender equality in the education sector, so it is important to define the other MDGs goal which are more challenging according to the development plan:

1. Lessen the gender gap in a certain parts of education such as, support self-studying
2. Create more chances for females in decision-making politics by supporting women’s role in politics and allowing more women to attain higher positions such as that of Chief Executive Officer.
3. Eliminate violence against women. Protect women who are victims of beating, sexual exploitation, human trafficking and domestic violence.
4. Promote females to study women’s rights
5. Improving data collection and analysis in order to separate female data from male data.

1. According to the vision to ‘achieve equality and social rights in order for Thai women to live with honor and have a steady, safe and high-quality of life the Thai Office of the National Economics and Social Development Board define five strategies:
2. Promote attitude and acceptance about the equality of gender.
3. Develop potentiality and increase economic and social chances of Thai women.
4. Develop overall well-being and promote stability in livelihood.
5. Develop female potentiality in order to increase women’s chance of participation in politics, governance, and decisions at different societal levels.
6. Promote and develop the efficacy of female organizations.

References

Group 4