A more systematic approach is being urged in Thailand’s handling of violence against female migrant workers as victims of various forms of violence are still being helped by non-governmental organisations and state authorities on a case-by-case basis.
Many such victims, particularly illegal migrant workers, lack access to help because they have limited knowledge of their rights and Thai law, said Pornprapai Ganjanarintr, chairwoman of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand.
Many are too afraid to file a complaint with the police or seek help from other parties due to their illegal status, said Ms Pornprapai.
“These victims do need help even though they have entered Thailand illegally,” she said.
Ms Pornprapai was speaking at a forum held recently in Bangkok for organisations involved in the fight against violence against women where they discussed the situation as it pertains to female migrant workers in Thailand.
“We’re currently pushing for a more systematic approach to ensure protection and help for female migrant workers, not just a case-by-case one such as the one that is being implemented now,” she said.
In two similar cases, two Myanmar migrant workers were raped by a Thai taxi driver in Bangkok and a truck driver in Lamphun, respectively.
The perpetrators both later reported the workers’ illegal entry to the kingdom to the police in order to get them deported so they could get away with their crimes scot-free, said Dararai Raksaksiriphong, a representative of Migrant Women Project in Mae Sot district of Tak.
In another case, a 29-year-old illegal female migrant worker suffered severe internal injuries after being physically assaulted by her Thai husband, after which she had to escape from their home in Chiang Mai, said Ms Dararai.
Fortunately, police detected irregularities in the first two cases reported by the drivers and found out that the female migrant workers were raped, said Ms Dararai.
The beaten wife was rushed by neighbours to a hospital, and her case was reported later to police, she added.
To deal with a rise in the number of such victims, a one-stop crisis centre has been set up at Mae Sot Hospital in Tak, said Rungphet Muangmit, a social worker at the hospital.
A mobile phone app called “Smart domestic worker”, which is available in several languages, has helped to improve the work of reaching abused migrant workers over the past two years, said Chanthana Ek-eau-mani, a coordinator of Homenet Thailand.