Give all women an equal chance to access fund cash

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s Cabinet has recently set up a National Women’s Development Fund Committee to supervise the Bt7.7-billion National Development Fund for Women, as part of the Pheu Thai Party’s pledge to give Bt100 million to each province to set up women’s development funds.

As the country’s first female prime minister, Yingluck may see the fund as a symbol of the government’s attention to women’s development. However, as with many other social issues, money alone will not provide a magic solution to enhance the capacity of women. In addition, the way the government plans to spend this tax money requires monitoring to ensure that it is well spent to serve its purpose. Of Thailand’s population of 65 million, more than 33 million are women.

The government says the money will help women develop their professional potential and promote their leadership in communities. There are plans to officially launch the National Development Fund for Women on March 8, which marks International Women’s Day.

However, the government has not come up with details on how it will fairly distribute the fund. As things stand, most ordinary women in local communities do not know anything about this plan. Judging from the government’s performance in distributing flood relief supplies and money, there is no guarantee that the disbursment will be effective in reaching those most in need. 

This money must not go only to women with political connections. It must not be manipulated for political purposes. 

The massive fund must respond to the financial and development needs of all women, as prescribed by the government’s policies. The development plan should address the constraints encountered by women and the vulnerabilities they are prone to. Among the areas of prime concern are women and poverty, violence against women, women and health, and women and sexual exploitation.  

The challenge can only be met through the empowerment of women, which can only be achieved via education and the promotion of self-esteem.

The development fund should also serve as a revolving source of money for women to borrow at low or zero interest. The government has said that between 60 per cent and 80 per cent of the fund will be allocated for such purposes, while the rest will be used to protect the rights of women and assist women facing hardship.

If this is the case, there are at least two issues that the government will have to address. First, the fund is likely to replicate the function of the village fund, which, according to many researchers, has had little success in creating real improvement in women’s lives. Many villagers have ended up further in debt as a result of village loans because of a lack of proper financial education and management kills. Many have not received proper guidelines on how to develop their potential. The same question emerges: How will the government prevent the same problem from happening?

The second issue is the principle of equity. All women’s groups and individuals in need should be given equal access to the new fund. It remains unclear, though, if the government will only make the fund available to certain categories that are qualified to register. In addition, how will marginalized women without any political connections be informed of and gain access to this financial assistance?

Prime Minister Yingluck recently assigned Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office Nalinee Taveesin to supervise the fund. The budget of Bt7.7 billion is thus likely to come under ministerial regulation under the PM’s Office. But this massive sum of money should be subject to direct scrutiny in Parliament to ensure transparency in its distribution and the sustainability of the effort. In addition, input from various women’s groups must be embraced to ensure the funding will supplement or compliment the existing and ongoing efforts of these groups. They at least know the issues on the ground far better than the government, and they must not be derailed by red tape and corruption.

Any effort to empower women is of course desirable. However, politicians should be aware that more than 30 million women, including those who are paying taxes, are curious to know how the government will spend this money. Any misuse of the fund, which is set up for the benefit of women, will only be regarded as a grave insult to them.