Fight sexual harassment the whole year round

For unknown reasons, our most famous festival, Songkran, frequently serves as an occasion on which to address social problems that have been waiting in the wings, so to speak.

In the recent past the authorities have expressed concern over young women donning spaghetti-strap tops during the water-splashing festival, for fear it will provoke unseemly male behaviour (this at a time when the sleeveless top has virtually become a uniform among teenagers). This year we learn that Thai women are quite aware they may be subjected to sexual harassment during the festival, although not for the reasons cited by the authorities.

Even as the government was focusing on security issues during the festival, Thai women expressed long-time worries about sexual harassment. Nearly 43 per cent of almost 3,000 respondents told a survey conducted by Assumption University that it was their top concern during Songkran. Fear of terrorism ranked only third. It should come as no surprise to anyone that women are speaking out on this issue. Thai society has been exceptionally tolerant of this form of discrimination. And it’s not only during Songkran that we should be voicing our concern.

Sexual harassment occurs in a variety of circumstances, both overtly and covertly. It happens to women almost every day, on the street, at school, in the workplace. Perhaps it’s time for both men and women to address this social problem without waiting for this big holiday.

In fact the effects of the physical contact that takes place when people splash water on each other are quite small compared with a superior who harasses you at your university or office and wields his power over you for his own perverse satisfaction.

The majority of victims quietly put up with such boors, hoping they’ll soon stop. They fear retaliation in the form of bad grades or promotion being withheld. There are a few brave ladies who complain about their superior, but they stand little chance of bringing the offender to book or winning damages. Unsurprisingly, in Thailand, most victims end up resigning from work or dropping out of school.

The really sad part about sexual harassment, though, is not that the victims cannot win, but rather that many women out there blame themselves for their plight. They also fear that others will blame them. We’ve heard it before: a woman is physically harassed, and her first reaction is to say she was too naive, or she didn’t try her best to protect herself. In the worst-case scenario, the harasser says the woman seduced him.

“Don’t just hope it will stop” is the very first thing every woman who is being victimised ought to remember. I have also found useful tips on various websites that deal with sexual harassment in the workplace. They say you should allow yourself to get angry and use the energy of your anger to help you focus and take action. They also stress that you let the harasser know.

However, all this works only if you want it to. Few Thai women dare to address unwanted attention or offensive behaviour clearly and directly.

To be fair, some Thai men are naive themselves when it comes to harassment, touching your shoulder while speaking without knowing it makes you uncomfortable or telling dirty jokes that offend you. This type of harasser doesn’t realise the effects of such behaviour on others. It often helps if we try to educate these men.

Overt sexual harassment is only the tip of the iceberg. Thai women also face problems from being stereotyped. In Thailand, a woman who has friends of the opposite sex is often referred to as raet (“loose” or “unprincipled”). But if she stays single and shows little interest in having a relationship, she is branded as kheunkhaan (“on the shelf”). There are many such age-old labels. Neither the authorities nor some NGO championing women’s rights can make them all disappear by waving a magic wand.

If you want to avoid a traffic accident, you drive carefully every day, not only during Songkran. Similarly, don’t wait for a special day or occasion to voice concern. There are 362 other days in the year on which you can do it just as effectively. To break free of sexual discrimination, start with yourself. Make your feelings known to the men around you. Informing them that certain behaviour is not welcome would be a constructive step.

Sitting and hoping that you won’t be the victim of harassment is rather like parking your car on the road during the Songkran holidays and praying that no drunk driver will come and smash into it.

Published on Apr 16, 2005