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

'Sai diao': not the coolest dress for Songkran

Twenty-year-old Porn has bought a new top, a spaghetti-strap blouse and plans to wear it on Songkran day. She is no big fan of this kind of top but for the upcoming fun-filled festival, it's a very practical choice. For one, it's highly suitable for any watery battlefield: the top gets soaked and dries easily.

To Porn, wearing such a top is not a big deal for her because it'll be just another day that the young lady will be in sai diao (or "one strap", the Thai name for spaghetti-strap). Little did Porn know she can't follow her dress code preference now that Cultural Minister Uraiwan Thienthong has announced the crackdown on sai diao in many of Songkran's celebration areas.

Her reason is that such a revealing blouse might induce sexual harassment. And not only the top but also hot pants are ruled out by the minister. Instead of hot pants, Uraiwan kindly suggested that ladies wear simple Thai sarongs.

"Doesn't she know that we have not grown up with sarongs and that they can slip off from our bodies anytime we're on the run?" Porn asks.

Her friend Dao wonders what if she and Porn take no notice of the dress code announcement and leave for Songkran fun spots wearing their usual outfits?

Well, what they've heard is that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration police will order them out of the area.

"That's terrible and it really kills the joy of our festival," says Dao as she pictures in her mind young female revellers being banned from water-splashing areas just because they are sporting the government's unfavourable top. The two young ladies can't find any reason to justify the ban on si diao. If they can't even enjoy the freedom to be themselves during the country's biggest and most entertaining celebration, what remains of "freedom" for them?

"It's our basic right," Porn protests. "We buy our own clothes, wear them on our bodies, and don't harm anyone."

"Perhaps in the future the ministry would consider launching a proper dress code for us for all festivals," Dao says.

The two girls are not the lone dissenting voices. Many others have voiced their disagreement through various media, especially on the Net. Since Uraiwan cites sexual harassment as the reason for the ban, it leaves many people wondering if the ministry views the revealing fashion as an important cause of sexual harassment. And if the government has enough policemen to look out for the sai diao, why can't the same police force protect women from being the subject of sexual harassment during Songkran? And how about farang revellers who would certainly join the water battles in their own revealing outfits?

The ban on the spaghetti-strap demonstrates just another example in Thai society of women being the victim of problems caused by men. If not sexual harassment, the related government agencies prefer to link the sai diao fashion as a factor in cultural decline. A government radio programme even states that young women shouldn't wear sai diao on Songkran if they love the nation. What the heck is going on?

Dao sees such a statement as a way for grownups to deny that culture is also a dynamic thing.

"If sarong and sabai (breast wrap) were once their culture, sai diao is now our culture," Porn says. "But the point is, no fashion can really harm a country's dominant culture as exemplified by Songkran. It's not that we will wear sai diao to the temple or a religious event. We wear this comfortable top to play at splashing water."

And if we must blame someone, Porn and Dao would love to blame the minister who has already killed the spirit of "fun-filled" Songkran.

In the old days, Songkran - like other festivals in this country - gave a chance for young ladies to go out. It let them dress up and look as pretty as they could. They came out in breast cloths, not Western-style blouse, as was their lifestyles. When they were splashed, we could imagine how revealing they were.

No wonder that history professor Paothong Thongchua expressed worry about the ban on spaghetti-strap blouses. As an expert in traditional Thai fashion, Paothong understands well why the sai diao crackdown doesn't make much sense.

Porn and Dao and many other young ladies are so delighted by Paothong's comments. The ban is inappropriate and doesn't fit the spirit of Songkran. Paothong shares an opinion with many women that Uraiwan should have had launched a more democratic PR campaign, giving warning or advice rather than banning the outfit outright.

The academic's observation that the breast cloth of old is a bigger worry and more revealing than sai diao came just in time for young people like Porn and Dao who still have time to find their own comfortable yet genuine Thai fashion choice.

Why not? Breast cloths are friendly to Thai culture. More importantly, the minister hasn't banned them.

Published on Apr 12, 2003