'Equality only with justice'
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TO MARK International Women's Day yesterday, former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra wrote on her Facebook that "equality can be achieved when there is justice".
The former premier started her statement by referring to the origins of Women’s Day in 1908, when women working in the garment industry went on strike in New York to protest against their poor working conditions.
She said 2015 should be a year in which women worldwide get justice.
She stressed that an environment of justice was needed before people could really enjoy their rights.
The rights and dignity of individuals was a basic right that everyone should have.
“I see that equality on matters related to women’s rights is still a problem challenging us nowadays,” she wrote.
The former premier highlighted the level of violence against women, and said acts deemed a breach of women’s rights in Thailand occurred in various forms, especially in relation to dignity and freedom of expression.
She said violence against women was a matter of great concern, particularly sexual assault, as it had a physical and mental impact.
Yingluck said coercion was threat?ening freedom of expression in public and private lives and was occurring at all levels of society. She bemoaned the tolerance to the sexual industry involving children and women.
She reiterated that when in power she aimed to establish a strategy to reduce inequality of the sexes and promote women’s power through the establishment of the Thai Women Empowerment Funds, which provided women with access to capital while creating opportunities to increase income and living conditions.
Yingluck concluded by saying International Women’s Day highlighted the need for all women to have justice.
She said she believed in the power of perseverance because it would eventually result in women overcoming all the obstacles facing them to get on an equal footing with men with dignity.
