Women seen as force for peace in the South
Several organisations are working to boost the role of women in helping solve the unrest in the deep South.
Since the new wave of violence erupted in Thailand’s southernmost region in 2003, it has killed more than 5,000 people and injured more than 9,000 others. During the same period, more than 5,000 children have been orphaned and 3,000 women have become widows.
Recent trends suggest that bloody attacks have increasingly affected innocent victims, especially women and children, as attackers frequently use explosives.
“Apart from casualties, the unrest has also hurt the economy, the health, the quality of life and the development in the deep South,” Soraya Jamjuree said yesterday in her capacity as coordinator of the Women’s Civic Network for Peace in the Southern Border Provinces. The network is functioning under the Prince of Songkla University’s Pattani Campus.
Soraya was speaking at a seminar in Bangkok focused on the rights and the role of women in the peace-building process for the deep South.
Cherian Matthews, Oxfam GB’s deputy director in Asia, said relevant parties should work to engage women in the process. It was not enough just to create opportunities for women because their participation should in fact become the norm.
Soraya hailed the establishment of the national-level subcommittee on women’s role in the promotion of peace and security.
Sitting on this subcommittee were representatives from various agencies including the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, UN Women, and several civic organisations.
Soraya said she expected such groups seriously to promote the role of this subcommittee and integrate its work with local mechanisms.
“To create peace in the deep South, we have to work closely with local communities,” she said.
Oxfam Thailand’s executive Suntaree Rangkusone said women had been successful in creating peace in violence-hit areas before, as seen in the Philippines’ Mindanao.
PM’s Office Minister Sansanee Nakpong said the government had now provided funds for the empowerment of women and intended to offer support for women in the deep South in various ways.
