Ethnic women seek more protection

A group of hilltribe women from Thailand’s northern region have called on the Law Reform Commission of Thailand (LRCT) to revise gender-equality legislation, giving ethnic minority women greater protection from domestic violence.

Among the key proposals made by two-dozen women activists from different ethnic minority groups was the setting up of home shelters for abused women; an emergency hotline for women with staff speaking the local hilltribe languages; and gender-equality training for ethic hilltribe men. The proposals were made during a two-day meeting at the Mantrini Hotel in Chiang Rai. The meeting ended yesterday. 

 Virada Somsawasdi, a commissioner and head of the subcommittee for the promotion of gender equality at the LRCT, said ethnic hilltribe women suffered greater levels of domestic abuse than other Thai women in society did.

Overall, government officials – even some judges – still lacked an understanding of how to assist those who had been violated and discriminated against, with hilltribe women suffering more than most. “They [ethnic hilltribe women] are on the fringe among women [suffering domestic abuse],” Virada told participants at the meeting held in Chiang Rai province.

The challenge, said Virada, was how hilltribe women could get access to the justice system in order to ensure gender equality, when traditional hilltribe norms still treated women as inferior. Virada said hilltribe women from the different ethnic groups needed to ask themselves: “Does maintaining tradition perpetuate women as sex objects or not? Will they continue to be violently abused or not? We must recognise that they [women] have rights over their bodies.”

 Vipar Simee, a Lisu hilltribe woman activist, said she couldn’t see how most Lisu men would accept gender equality. Also, Lisu women often hid cases of domestic abuse, she added. “They hide [domestic abuse] and dare not talk about it. There are so many cases, but I think we cannot remain idle. Educating families about domestic violence is needed because they don’t know the law. Men still think that since they have paid [a dowry] for their wives, they can do whatever they like. I want to see a law that is easily understood.”

Pairoh Yubor, an Akha woman activist, said holding training was costly and in her case, it took three to four years of fund-raising in order to be able to hold training sessions covering domestic abuse laws and gender equality.

Leknoi Sae Seh, a Hmong woman, said she remained pessimistic and believed no laws could ever guarantee gender equality among Hmong people. “They insist that the rules can’t be changed. It’s up to the women whether they will resist the rules or not.”

 Another Hmong woman added that some traditional rules maintained that men did not have to worry about taking mistresses into their own homes. As a result some wives had left their husbands and were forced to live as outcasts. 

However, Anchita Mayuer, an Akha woman activist, warned that traditions should be preserved and explained how some traditional rules were based on good intentions. For example, if a woman decided to separate from her husband, she could not stay at the home of her parents for more than 10 days, after which time she was expected to seek a new husband. This was so that the woman did not become a burden on her parents, Anchita added.

“Each tribe should look into its traditions and discuss them. Men should be involved from the initial stage in order to reduce the gap [in understanding]. But please don’t set a framework which is contrary to hilltribe traditions.” 

 

 

Tribal practices

Traditional practices still existing among hilltribes in Thailand, which contravene the principle of gender equality.

Hmong: A woman cannot own a house – it is always the man who is the master and owner of the house. In some cases, up to four or five “wives” sleep together in the same bed with their husband.

Karen: A woman has no rights to bargain once she has joined her husband’s household. If a girl under 15 is raped, she will be forced to marry the rapist with the support of her mother.

Kachin and Lisu: A married woman must cook for her husband’s family, but she is only allowed to eat after her husband and in-laws have done so – never at the same time. As part of Kachin tradition, a woman, once divorced, cannot return to her maiden home, and if a wife passes away and has an unmarried sister, the sister will be forced to marry the husband of her deceased sister.

Lahu: Decision-making is done by men.

Akha: A woman has fewer rights to an inheritance. A wife does not have to be consulted by her husband, if he decides to take in a second wife.

Mien: A women (in some Mien minorities) cannot sit and eat at the same table as her husband.