Subject: [fem-women2000 70] [News Dispatch] Press Release
From: lalamaziwa <lalamaziwa@jca.apc.org>
Date: Sat, 30 Oct 1999 04:02:50 +0700
Seq: 70

---------------- Original message follows ----------------
 From: Cheekay Cinco <cheekay@isiswomen.org>
 To: apwomen2000@isiswomen.org
 Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 09:25:42 +0800
 Subject: [apwomen2000] [News Dispatch] Press Release 
--

PRESS RELEASE

Thailand has made progress in law to promote women$BCT(B
rights
By Chitraporn Vanaspong of the ESCAP Media team*
26 October 1999

The Asian economic crisis has made Thailand rethink
its previous development model to one that focuses
more on basic rights of people as well as gender
equality, the top-ranking Thai woman Minister said
yesterday.

$BE5(Bhe crisis has made us rethink of our development
model. The traditional notions of $BET(Becurity$B(B(B $BanEE(Bevelopment$B(B(B $Bhave(B $Bto(B $Bbe(B $Bchanged,(B(B $Bsaid(B $BKhunying(B 
$BSupatrMasditMinister(B $Bto(B $BthPrimMinisterCT(B
Office. $BE5(Bhe concepts must focus on people -- how they
live and exercise their choices. The people, women and
men, must be equally provided with all the basic
necessities of life, including their basic rights and
freedom.$B(B(B

$BAt(B $Bthopeninsessioof(B $BthHigh-level(B
$BInter-governmental(B $BMeetinto(B $Breview(B $Bthregional(B
$Bimplementation(B $Bof(B $BthBeijinDeclaratioanthPlatform(B $BfoAction(B $Bin(B $BBangkoyesterday,(B $BMasdit(B $Btold(B
$Bthmeetinthat(B $BThailand(B $Bhamade(B $Bprogress(B $Bin(B
$Bpromotinwome$BCT(B rights despite the economic crisis. 

Panit Nitithanprapas, Permanent Secretary of the Prime
Minister$BCT(B Office, added that the Thai Constitution of
1997 does not only include several provisions that
reflect a substantive vision for gender equality by
prohibiting discrimination. Gender equality is also
guaranteed by making room for the promotion of the
conditions needed to make legal equality real and
effective. 

$BE5(Bhe past five years have seen a number of laws being
amended to become less discriminatory, Ms. Panit said.
$BE4(Bome of the examples are the Prostitution Prevention
and Suppression Act, which took effect in 1996, and
which decriminalised sex workers and imposes penalties
on customers, agents and procurers as well as the
Labour Protection Law enacted in 1998, that for the
first time prohibits sexual harassment in work
places.$B(B(B

$BOthestrategies(B $Bhave(B $Balso(B $Bbeen(B $Bintroduced(B $Bto(B $Bdeal(B
$Bwith(B $Bviolence(B $Bagainswomen,(B $BMsPanisaidTraining(B
$Bto(B $Bmake(B $Blaenforcermore(B $Bgender(B $Bsensitivhabeen(B
$Blaunched(B $Banone-stop(B $Bservicfovictimof(B
$Bviolence(B $Bhabeen(B $Bestablishein(B $Bnumber(B $Bof(B
$Bhospitals.(B $BInvestigativprocedures(B $Bhave(B $Balso(B $Bbeen(B
$Breviewed(B $Banmade(B $Bwomen-friendlyAdditionallythGovernment(B $Bharecently(B $Bapproved(B $Bthdesignatioof(B
$BNovember(B $Bas(B $Bthmontof(B $Bcampaigninon(B $Btheliminatioof(B $Bviolence(B $Bagainswomen.(B

$BE*(Bn the political sphere, some progress on women$BCT(B
participation has been noted,$B(B(B $Bstated(B $BMsPanit.(B
$BE%(Becentralisation of administrative power has resulted
in increased proportion of women in local
administration, from 1-2 percent prior to 1995 to
about 10 percent at present. In addition, the
Government$BCT(B policy to eliminate job discrimination in
1995 has brought about equal access to government
positions for women.$B(B(B

$BHowever,(B $Bmuch(B $Bmore(B $Bremainto(B $Bbe(B $Bdone(B $Bespecially(B $Baftetheconomic(B $Bcrisis(B $Bbreaking(B $Bouin(B $BThailand(B $Bsincthmiddle(B $Bof(B $B1997(B $Bthat(B $Bhabadlaffected(B $Bhumadevelopmennation-widas(B $Bwell(B $Bas(B $Bthpotentiadevelopmenof(B $BwomeanchildrenAmonthpriorities(B $Bof(B $BThailand(B $Bartransferring(B $Bof(B $Bknowledgon(B $Bgender(B $Bto(B $Bthnext(B $Bgenerationgender(B $Bmainstreamin(B
$Banthcollection(B $Bof(B $Bsex-disaggregatedata(B $Baninformation.(B $BTheris(B $Balso(B $Bneed(B $Bto(B $Bdevelohigh(B
$Bgender(B $Bawarenesandeveloskills(B $Bat(B $Bvarioulevels(B
$Bin(B $Bpursuancto(B $BthConstitutionso(B $Bas(B $Bto(B $Bmake(B
$Bwome$BCT(B rights a reality for all Thai women.

Thailand is among 60 countries presenting its report
on reviewing the progress in implementing the Beijing
Platform for Action of 1995, at a High-level
Inter-governmental Meeting in Bangkok which opened
yesterday. It is sponsored by the UN Economic and
Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The meeting is to discuss progress in implementing the
objectives of the Platform of Action. It will also
consider and adopt its report on Friday, 29 October
1999. The report will be the input of the governments
of the Asia and Pacific Region to a special session of
the United Nations General Assembly $BE8(Bomen 2000:
Gender equality, Development, and Peace for the 21st
century.$B(B(B $BThmeetinwill(B $Bbe(B $Bheld(B $Bin(B $BNeYork(B $Bin(B $BJune(B
$B2000(B $Bto(B $Breview(B $Bimplementation(B $Bof(B $BthBeijinPlatform(B
$BfoAction(B $Bglobally==============================================================APWOMEN200is(B $Bmailinlist(B $Bcreateto(B $Bfacilitate(B $Binformatioan(B $Bresource(B $BsharinfothNGreview(B $Bprocesin(B $BAsia(B $BanthPacififothBeijinPlatform(B $BfoActionSend(B $Bpostings(B $Bto(B $B,(B $Banrequests(B $Bfoassistance(B
$Bto(B $B.(B $BAPWOMEN200is(B $Bhosted(B $Bby(B
$BIsis(B $BInternational-Manila==============================================================(B