2020 CEDAW Progress Report Card: WHRDs reporting on Thailand’s compliance with the 2017 CEDAW Concluding Observations

The Convention to eliminate all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) provides important protection tools for women and girls in international human rights law. According to CEDAW, recognising and guaranteeing equal treatment between women and men is not enough. Rather, its state signatories have the duty to take appropriate action towards the elimination of all form of discriminations against women and to support substantive gender equality.

Thailand’s compliance with the Convention was last assessed in 2017. On that occasion, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (the “CEDAW Committee”) issued significant recommendations to Thai authorities, which are legally binding.

In the same year, Protection International facilitated the participation of community-based Women Human Right Defenders (WHRDs) in the Thai women’s delegation before the CEDAW Committee. Almost three years later, it is timely for WHRDs to reflect and create a progress report on Thailand’s compliance with the recommendations made, as the next review is fast approaching. The report card rates progress in key areas of concern identified by the WHRDs from the CEDAW Committee’s 2017 Concluding Observations for Thailand.

With support from The Embassy of Canada in Bangkok under the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) Protection International launched, on the 4th March 2020, the CEDAW Progress Report Card: WHRDs reporting on Thailand’s compliance with the 2017 Concluding Observations of the CEADW Committee.

The goal of this report card, which is part of a larger body of creative work intended to engage and enhance communication with Thai authorities, is to raise awareness about the situation of women and WHRDs in terms of government policy and treatment towards women. The report card will also contribute to draw the public opinion’s attention on CEDAW and Thailand, which has yet to comply with the CEDAW’s Recommendation on Dissemination.