Research article

DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNITY-LEVEL MECHANISMS FOR PREVENTING AND SOLVING VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN AND WOMEN IN THE NORTHERN BORDER AREAS OF THAILAND

Wichulada Matanboon*

Online First: November 21, 2022


Violation of children and women’s rights is a serious problem in the northern border areas of Thailand. This participatory action research (PAR) was therefore conducted with 3 objectives which were to study the situation of violence against children and women, to study the community-level mechanisms for preventing and solving violence against children and women, and to develop the community-level mechanisms for preventing and solving violence against children and women. The study area was Sathan Sub-district, Chiang Khong District, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. Data collection was conducted through observations, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, group interviews, training and community forums. The results showed that violence against children and women in this community included physical, psychological, sexual and cyber violence. The existing community-level mechanisms for preventing and solving problems consisted of 1) community operational mechanisms, 2) government operational mechanisms, and 3) NGOs operational mechanisms. However, there was still a lack of integration and collaboration. The mechanisms developed were based on a participatory process involving all sectors in the community. Two statutes for elimination of violence against children and women were established as the guidelines for preventing and solving violence against children and women in the community.

Keywords

children, women, violence against children and women, community-level mechanisms, border areas