On 29 November at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), the Women Human Rights Defenders Collective in Thailand organized an event to mark the 2022 International Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) Day with the presence of representatives from various networks. It was a space for discussion about the importance and value of work contributed by mothers and caregivers at home. It was part of the campaign to demand a constitutional amendment on “care income” to raise public awareness about the value of care work and fair compensation. It was also a chance for movements and alliances to explore the possibilities of developing recommendations and action plans to advocate for these issues through political parties and public awareness raising.

In honor of this international day, the Women Human Rights Defenders Collective demands that: the Thai Constitution be amended; the government minimize the power and funding of the military; the government invest in care income instead of funding the killing and harassment of people; the state apologise and be held accountable for violently cracking down on the protests during APEC; the state drop charges against all protest participants as well as offer compensation to all those injured.

For more information, reference the joint statement “Care Income Now!” which was published by the Global Women’s Strike (GWS) in 2020.