September 28, 1999
Turning points SHELTER: In 1980, perhaps for the first time ever, thousands of abused women and girls had somewhere to turn, a place which offered care and help to them when they were at their most vulnerable Vasana Chinvarakorn For almost two decades the Emergency Home for Women and Children in Distress has been a pioneer in offering temporary shelter for Thai women who are victims of abuse. SOMKID CHAIJITVANIT Jon is waiting patiently for his mum's morning ritual to come to a close. Surrounded by his many 'aunts', he can spot her listening attentively to a pep talk-today's topic includes the negative effects of smoking. Four-year-old Jon looks small for his age and life was difficult from the start. Diagnosed with HIV at birth, his early days were filled with trips to numerous hospitals and many changes of address. His mother, a divorcee, has had difficulty getting a permanent job, first because of her own health problems and secondly because of the difficulties of having an ailing child. Fortunately for mother and child, they eventually discovered a new "home" where both are accepted into the family; currently there are about 130 members of this family. For almost two decades, more than 40,000 women have claimed the Emergency Home for Women and Children in Distress as their "home". Fresh-faced girls, raped or forced into prostitution and haggard intimidated wives, on the run from drunk or drug-addicted husbands, have sought shelter there, as have Aids patients, ailing and vulnerable, rejected by their relatives and forced to live somewhere else. Since it opened in 1980, the Emergency Home has served all sorts of strangers from different walks of life, providing solace in times of desperation and strength for the abused to go back and reclaim their right to live without violence. Eight months ago 12-year-old Miss Mook was raped by a classmate. By the time her family realised what had transpired she was seven months pregnant and the boy had long moved elsewhere. Brought to the Emergency Home by a relative, Miss Mook has been gradually nursed back into her almost talkative self-though her due date nears and there are moments when uncertainty flashes across her face. Mrs Pim, a 30-something mother of two has rediscovered what peace feels like. After years of physical abuse by her amphetamine-hooked husband, the native of Khon Kaen decided to call it quits. One day when her violent husband headed out to gamble, she rushed out with the kids betting on her children's safety and perhaps a brighter future. "I was so scared he would come back any minute, I didn't even have time to search for my ID card," she said. Fortunately, her lack of legal documents has been tolerated by the Emergency Home, and Mrs Pim is now working with the Home's counsellors on finding a job that could support her family. Mrs Som's brow is often knitted in furrows. She is relishing a new life at the home, though time may not be on her side. She contracted the deadly HIV virus from her unfaithful husband. After a separation, she found herself pregnant and was subsequently diagnosed with the disease. Leaving the baby with her parents, Mrs Som headed to work in Bangkok. However, her health deteriorated and she found herself without a job, money, and a place to live. "I considered pickpocketing as a means to support myself," she confided, "But I knew it wasn't the right thing to do. I couldn't go home; my father in particular would never accept my disease. "Deep in my heart, I believed there must be some place in this vast country where people could seek shelter. Luckily, a friend told me of the Emergency Home." In terms of physical space and comfort, her present "home" may not be a paradise. Mrs Som and others who seek shelter there are provided with a small bed and a cabinet. Privacy is hard to come by and from time to time the pressure gets too much and women can be found sobbing or ranting about their miserable pasts. However, for those with nowhere else to turn, the Emergency Home is a glint of light to get them through dark times. And the common fate and vulnerability of the residents at the Home create an atmosphere of mutual help and understanding. Women can be seen offering advice and soothing words to each other and share in caring for the children. Perhaps, the difficulties they have experienced has taught them the importance of demonstrating kindness even in apparently small and mundane situations. Miss Mook's day usually begins before dawn. After breakfast and morning lectures by the Home's staff, the women residents divide themselves into teams, each assigned with a certain task. Miss Mook herself signed up for the card-making team. On an average day, she makes about 500 cards; some of the money earned from selling them goes towards her savings. The mum-to-be also plans to take courses in cooking and sewing as her next projects. The nearby vocational school offers free training to the Emergency Home's residents, thus enabling them to start a new post-Home life on a firmer ground (see sidebar on page 1). Walaiporn Worasuk, director of the Emergency home's Welfare Division, gives a pep talk to women residents as part of their morning ritual. -- Somkid Chaijitvanit Typically, the staff at the Emergency Home collaborate with each resident, and her family if there is any, on planning the best next move for her, be it finding a job, a new house, or even filing a case against an irresponsible husband. In reality, most of the women who have suffered years of abuse at the hands of their partners baulk at the thought of reconciliation once they have made a move away from him. The only "permanent" residents at the Emergency Home so far are those with HIV. Many learn how to look after themselves and subsequently leave, others are simply too weak and are allowed to stay on. About 20 of them have died while living at the Home. In the two decades since the Home opened the number of women per day who turn to the Home for help has remained fairly constant. Social worker Jariya Samlee-on said this may not indicate no rise in abuse cases, but rather that more organisations with similar objectives are helping to share the Emergency Home's work. The Emergency Home has been working to curb exploitation against women and their children at grass roots levels through various branch activities (see sidebar on page 1). Lately, Mrs Jariya has observed a growing phenomenon of wife-battering by amphetamine-addicted husbands. "I have come to think the world may never be problem-free. From my experience working with the victims, I see 'danger' lurking around every corner. "Our Home seems to be the receptacle for these troubles. But we have to help them, and help must continue to the end. These women are at the precipice, and how can we stand aside and let them fall off without giving a hand?" - Note: All the names of residents at the Emergency Home mentioned in this article are pseudonyms, to protect their identity. How it all started Before the Emergency Home for Women and Children in Distress came into existence, victims of abuse had to rely on their own means of survival-with varying degrees of success. Some may have turned to family or friends who may have been willing to help. Others would have resorted to the state authorities and depended on the vagaries of their action or understanding. Mae Chi Khunying Kanitha Vichiencharoen, the founder of the Emergency Home, once noted: "There's no justice in society. Women have long been victims, and this hasn't changed. If they are in distress, they can't wait for the law to help them. And part of the reason women's problems remain unresolved is that those in power pay little attention to them." With her legal background and experience with marginalised women, Khunying Kanitha joined other like-minded activists in 1974 in setting up a group to protect abused women. The Group for the Promotion of Women's Status (officially registered as the Association for the Promotion of the Status of Women in 1983) subsequently opened a temporary shelter-initially operating at Khunying Kanitha's private residence. After 16 months, in mid 1982, the Emergency Home was moved to the third floor of the office of the Association of Women Lawyers on Sukhothai Road. This first branch now functions as the Clinic for Women offering advice on health issues. With an increasing number of women flocking to the Emergency Home, the lack of space posed a serious constraint. In 1986, new accommodation was set up on a 21-rai plot on the outskirts of town called Thung Si Kan. The land was donated by a philanthropist named Ms Raveewan Bunyaraksa and the building and start-up fund were donated by Mr Ryoichi Sasakawa, a Japanese businessman inspired by Khunying Kanitha's continued dedication to the women's cause. The Association's initially small-scale project gradually branched out into a multitude of programmes, with many purposes-first tapping into the structural causes of women's exploitation, and secondly generating income to support the organisation. In 1989, the Centre for Education and Employment of Women was launched. Now both the residents at the Emergency Home and the general public can attend regular vocational courses ranging from sewing to cooking and making handicrafts. The end-products are sold at fairs and festivals. The Home's residents can earn a small income, at the same time as developing skills which might help them once they leave. In 1990, the Gender and Development Research Institute was established to conduct research on and push for public policies to improve the conditions of women. It also campaigns to raise public awareness on gender issues and national development. The Research Institute has also been involved in training local women leaders across the nation. In 1996, the Don Muang Youth Centre was opened near the Emergency Home, offering several extra-curriculum programmes to young people, to steer them away from drugs and unsociable activities. Periodically, the centre also organises public works, such as cleaning telephone booths, or women's cells in local police stations. Such schemes are designed to encourage an understanding in young people of the importance of gender equality issues and how to work together towards a common goal. The drive to better the status of women has also spilled into the religious realm. Last May, the country's first Buddhist college of nuns (Mahapachabodi Theri Vidhayalai) was launched. The temporary campus, a small classroom, is situated in the same compound as the Association's headquarters and funds are being raised for the permanent site in Nakhon Ratchasima province. For day-to-day operations the financial support has come from various sources including private donors and overseas grants. To help cushion some expenses, the Association has been running a budget hostel called We Train guest house. Its main hall can also be rented out for seminars or other civil functions. However, the number of people the Emergency Home has to support-about 130 women plus their children-is a pretty heavy weight. The economic downturn has also caused a sizable dent in the public's donations. Info for donations: Name of organisation: The Emergency Home and Relief Fund for Women and Children in Distress, a unit of the Association for the Promotion of the Status of Women, under the royal patronage of HRH Princess Soamsawali. Address: 50/1 Decha Tungkha Road, Si Kan sub-district, Don Muang district, Bangkok 10210 Phone: 929-2222, 929-2301-10 Fax: 929-2300 Email: we-train@linethai.co.th Below are details for three accounts all under the name of 'The Emergency Home': Bank of Ayudhya, Srongprapha branch, 332-08057-2. BankThai, Don Muang branch, 0342143409. Siam Commercial Bank, Srongprapha branch, 105-2-17137-4. Please send or fax a copy of the deposit slip to the above address so the Association can issue every donor a receipt.		Current Issues in Thailand Bangkok Post Year-end Economic Review NEW! SEA Games news archive! 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