Examining Forms and Socio-cultural Influences of Violence Against Women and Girls: A Survey on Awareness in Thai Society

Main Article Content

Sutthana Vichitrananda
Kanokkan Anukansai

Abstract

This article investigates violence against women and girls (VAWG) by classifying and examining various forms of VAWG. The analysis is informed by two secondary sources of data: existing literature and survey results conducted by NIDA Poll in 2022. The article delves into the influence of socio-cultural dimensions, with a specific focus on gender norms, on the various forms and characteristics of VAWG.  These encompass a spectrum of forms, including intimate partner violence; sexual harassment; cyber violence; modern slavery; harmful traditional practices such as honor killing and female genital mutilation; and violence from community or society. The survey results on VAWG awareness within Thai society are presented in this study to enhance the comprehension of the subject matter.  The survey findings revealed a notable level of awareness concerning sexual harassment, modern slavery, and harmful traditional practices.  However, the perspectives diverged on certain issues such as such as romance scams and intimate partner violence.  These insights provide a foundation for the formulation of enhanced strategies to combat and prevent violence against women and girls.

Article Details

Section
Articles

References

Ahmady, Kameel (2021). An Echo of Silence: A Comprehensive Research Study On Early Child Marriage (ECM) In Iran.

Alvinius A., Holmberg A. Silence‐breaking Butterfly Effect: Resistance towards the Military within #MeToo. Gender Work Organ.2019;26:1255–1270. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12349

Almosaed, N., 2004. Violence against women: a cross‐cultural perspective. Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, 24(1), pp.67-88.

Apanantikul, Manee (2010). “Disclosing Middle-Aged Thai Women’s Voice about Unfaithful Husbands” Pacific Rim Int Nurs Res; 14(4) pp. 346 – 359.

Aronowitz T., Lambert, C.A., and Daviddoff S. (2012). The Role of Rape Myth Acceptance in the Social Norms Regarding Sexual Behavior Among College Students. Journal of Community Health Nursing, 29: 173–182, 2012. DOI: 10.1080/07370016.2012.697852

BBC (Feb. 10, 2019) “Women 'victims in 63% of romance scams'” Retrieved 22 September 2022 from https:// www.bbc.com/news/business-47176539

Bhandari, Astha. (2021). Indian Media Narratives in Gang Rape. Master of Arts (MA), Thesis, Sociology & Criminal Justice, Old Dominion University, DOI: 10.25777/m39f-s864 https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/sociology_criminaljustice_etds/55

Bloch, Francis and Rao, Vijayendra (2000). Terror as a bargaining instrument: a case study of dowry violence in rural India. Washington, DC: World bank, Development Research Group, Poverty and Human Resources

Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society, (2021) Gender Equality in Education: An ASEAN Sourcebook.. CPCS, National Institute of Development Administration.

Chuemchit, Montakarn et al. “Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence in Thailand” Journal of Family Violence. 2018; 33(5) pp. 315-323. Published online 2018 Apr. 7. doi: 10.1007/s10896-018-9960-9.

Coluccia A., Pozza A., Ferretti F., Carabellese F., Masti A. and Gualtieri G. (2020) Online Romance Scams: Relational Dynamics and Psychological Characteristics of the Victims and Scammers. A Scoping Review. Clin.Pract Mental Health. 2020; 16: 24–35. Published online 2020 Mar 26. doi: 10.2174/1745017902016010024. PMCID: PMC7254823 PMID: 32508967

Convention on The Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979) Fact Sheet No.23, Harmful Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (art. 5 (a)), adopted by General Assembly resolution 34/180 of 18 December 1979.

Dailey, J. Douglas and Singh, Raghu N. (Aug. 3, 2016) "Honor killing". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 22 September 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/ honor-killing

Davoudian, Teni, (2014). I Cheat Because I Can: Power, Sexism And Approval Of Infidelity, Dissertations (1934 -). 342. https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu/342

Elle, Kal (2021). “The Perception of Date Rape in Thai Patriarchal Society: A Case Study of Female University Students in Thailand” in Thammasart Review, Vol. 24 No. 1 (January – June) 2021) pp.57-58.

European Institute for Gender Equality (2017). Cyber violence against women and girls.

Fulu Emma, et al (2013). Why Do Some Men Use Violence against Women and How Can We Prevent it? Quantitative Findings from the United Nations Multi-Country Study on Men and Violence in Asia and Pacific. UNDP, UNFPA, UN Women and UN Volunteers.

George, R., Pilar, M., Domingo, T. (2021) Challenging Violence Against Women In Public Life. Align Briefing.

Grubbström, Ann and Powell, Stina (2020) Persistent norms and the #MeToo effect in Swedish forestry education, Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, 35:5-6, 308-318, DOI: 10.1080/02827581.2020.1791243

International Labour Organization (ILO), Walk Free and International Organization for Migration (IOM) (2022). Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage. Geneva.

Miieu Insight (2021) Should Companies Rethink Their Workplace Harassment Policies with A Shift to Hybrid or WFH Arrangements? How has The Nature of Sexual Harassment Changed along with the Increased Digitalisation of Work? Retrieved 22 September 2022, from https://www.mili.eu/ insights/should-companies-rethink-their-workplace-harassment-policies-with-a-shift-to-hybrid-or-wfh-arrangements

Nida Poll (2022). ความเข้าใจเกี่ยวกับความรุนแรงทางเพศในสังคมไทย. 20 December 2022 from https://nidapoll.nida.ac.th/survey_detail?survey_id=604

Oxfam (2018). ‘Let’s stop thinking it’s normal’: Identifying patterns in social norms contributing to violence against women and girls across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and the Pacific. Oxfam Research Report.

Pew Research Center (2021). The State of Online Harassment. Retrieved 22 September 2022, from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/01/13/the-state-of-online-harassment/

Prachathai (Nov. 16, 2019) เปิดข้อมูลพื้นที่เสี่ยงต่อการคุกคามทางเพศ 600 จุด ในเขตกรุงเทพฯ. Retrieved 22 September 2022, from https://prachatai.com/ journal/2019/11/85179. (In Thai)

Suntornpitak, Papitchaya (2019) Resilience Experience for Women with Domestic Violence: A Case Study of the Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation (Wmp). A Thesis Submitted In Partial Fulfillment Of The Requirements For The Degree Of Master Of Social Work, Department of Social Work, Faculty of Social Administration, Thammasat University: Thailand. (In Thai)

Taweesith, Suchada (2019) Ethnic Women’s Access to Justice in the Plural Legal System in Thailand: Hmong Women and Malay-Muslim Women. Mahidol University: Thailand. (In Thai)

Times of India (2022) “Dowry and dowry death”. Retrieved 22 September 2022 from https://timesofindia.India times.com/readersblog/politiclaw/dowry-and-dowry-death-42574/

UNFPA Asia and the Pacific Regional Office (August 2016) Measuring Prevalence of Violence against Women: Key Terminology.

UNICEF (2022) Female genital mutilation Female genital mutilation is an internationally recognized human rights violation. Retrieved 22 September 2022 from https://www.unicef.org/ protection /female-genital-mutilation

UN Women UK (2021) Prevalence and reporting of sexual harassment in UK public spaces: A report by the APPG for UN.

Warria, A. and Chadambuka, C., (2019). Social norms and child trafficking: A springboard for social workers to facilitate community-based child protection interventions In Social Dialogue Issue 20. March, 2019 in Socialdialogue online.

World Health Organization & Pan American Health Organization. (‎2012)‎. Understanding and addressing violence against women: intimate partner violence. World Health Organization. Retrieved January 7, 2022, from https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/77432.

WHO (2019) RESPECT women: Preventing Violence against Women. Geneva.

WHO (2021) Violence against Women Prevalence Estimates, 2018: Global, Regional and National Prevalence Estimates for Intimate Partner Violence sgainst Women and Global and Regional Prevalence Estimates for non-partner sexual violence against women. Geneva.