Raising Awareness for Domestic Violence in Thailand

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Volume 1, Number 7 | Op-Ed

A woman stops going out with friends and heads home early every day. A maid comes to work with a bruise on her cheek. A wife appears more timid than usual in the presence of her husband. An abusive partner may be the cause of all of these symptoms, but in Thailand, chances are the woman will not ask for help, and nobody will seriously intervene. Almost 95% of domestic abuse witnesses decides not to get involved, according to The Nation (2018). With worsening statistics and a high price tag, the issue of domestic violence in Thailand deserves to be addressed.

Domestic violence, legally defined as ‘any act done either intentionally or in a manner likely to cause harm to body, mind, or health of a family member’, ‘coercion or exertion of immoral influence over a family member in order for him or her to commit an act, yield to an act, or to refrain from act’, and excluding ‘acts committed through negligence’, can result in a maximum of six-month imprisonment, or a 6,000 Baht fine, or both, according to Thai law (Siam Legal, 2017). However, other punishment measures can be reached through a compromise between the two parties.

Despite the legal retribution, domestic violence statistics are worrying. From January to July of 2018, 367 such cases were reported in the news. Of this number, 242 or approximately two-thirds were fatal (The Nation, 2018). According to the Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation’s senior staff member Angkhana Intasa, the number is 48.5% higher than it was only two years ago.

The Thai society generally considers domestic violence an issue not to be interfered by outsiders, which helps explain the numbers. Additionally, Jaded Chouwilai, director of the rights group Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation, stated that many women do not report domestic abuse cases for fear of their children’s well-being (Samui Times, 2013). For this reason, statistics are often lower than reality. Alcohol and drug usage are also factors in the increased violence (Bangkok Post, 2017). Attitude towards women plays a role as well. In the same article, over 40% of men were reported to believe their wives are their ‘properties’, and 43.3% of total respondents agreed that female partners should obey their husband or boyfriend.

The prevalence of domestic violence is not only damaging to millions of women and children’s physical and emotional state, it is also extremely costly. According to Lomborg (2018), domestic violence costs the world 5.2% of global GDP annually. For illustration, terrorism had taken approximately 30,000 lives globally in 2015, costing 0.2% of the global GDP, 25 times less than domestic violence. McCollister, French, and Fang (2010) estimated an average cost of a sexual assault in the U.S. to cost $240,776, a result of emotional trauma, medicines, legal expenses, and productivity loss from both the victim and the perpetrator.

An estimated one in every three women around the world will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime (WHO, 2017). Every year, around 300 million or one in every nine women (aged 15 to 64) are physically abused by their partner (Lomborg & Williams, 2018). Again, these numbers may be underreported. Survivors of domestic violence are also more likely to have mental health problems and certain chronic illnesses.

Not many remembers it unless reminded by a Google Doodle, but the 25th of November or ‘White Ribbon’ day has been dedicated to ending violence against women and children since 1999. That same year, the Thai government designated the entire month of November the campaign month for ending violence against women and children. As domestic violence in Thailand escalates, the White Ribbon cause deserves awareness more than ever. Let us raise awareness in honour of the campaign and do our part to end domestic violence.