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July 10, 2009
Thailand REPORT
Thailand REPORT
(Regional Training on Gender Disability, Bangkok, Thailand)
Philippines
2009 March 2 - 14
Different countries from ASIA - Pacific such as Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Kyrgyzstan and Philippines participated in the annual regional training on Gender Disability (GD) held in Bangkok, Thailand.
GD training tackled many issues about the different problems concerning women with disability, social interactions EXCLUDING SEXUAL IDENTITY, building-up equality, woman as part of economy, international situation, advocacy program, South-to-south collaborations on UN Convention issues, empowerment, etc... The training also means that the issues considered not only the point of view of being a woman but also the men together with the women.
Along with many issues I will discuss three (3) topics.
(1) First, our experienced within the South-to-South Collaboration at the UN ESCAP;
(2) Second, our experienced within the GD Training;
(3) Lastly, Tum San's and I special activity.
It is a very good experienced of this year’s GD trainees for we were able to attend the South-to-South Collaboration of the UN Convention at UN ESCAP.
On the first day, different presentations’ reported the latest updates of their countries initiatives following the UN Conventions plan of actions.
Announced the latest information’ and updates of UN Convention for persons with disability (PWD)by the experts.
On the second day, the GD trainees made their own countries presentation on gender disability. While on the other side, the government officials and leaders of their own respective countries made their South-to-South collaborations meeting.
In view of the two days activities, presentations and discussions focused on gender disability. Problems on women's domestic violence, discriminations, unemployment, educations, social and psychological situations are common topics. In my own opinion, the said issues remain unsolved. I think not only the laws that must be amend but individual itself must changed. What is the meaning of a strong law if the people are weak? Or, what is the strength of one or two persons if the scale is out of balance? Even if they don't like their current situations they keep their mouth zipper, their ears seems like can not hear at all and their eyes are blindfolded. What else you can do if the people surrounds’ you are trying to judge you improperly? What will be the choice, but no otherwise, to keep silent so that you can go out without those judge mental eyes, or, to lost people respect and be unemployed? Most of this women are encountering psychological problem. More over, persons being abused are hesitant to express their problem within the family so they look for someone who they think they can keep their secret. Are they really trustworthy? Further more, anywhere in the world people are very scared with the term {PUBLIC SCANDAL}. With this term we can not say who will gain benefits or later lost at all. Well, we can not just say so. Until you find yourself into the highlights of the public scandals.
Therefore I think, we should foresee the situations by developing women with confidence, and strength to fight for their rights.
It is necessary to consider the social, emotional and psychological conditions. Conducting seminars and training for women with the mission to strengthen personality development, social interactions, public awareness programs, public protections against abuses, ignorance, etc...Women whether with disability or not must be knowledgeable of their own rights as a human being and part of the world.
Ｏｎ the ｏｔｈｅｒ ｈａｎｄ, Biwako concept is good, but think that the individual principles and philosophy must also be change. Changes must come from both sides. Chopstick can not be use if it is only one stick. It will be no meaning if only one will worth. The said issues and problems are not the problem of women sides only, I think it is the problem of society to make the world equality. It is not the issues of who are impaired. It is an issue about how to have equality as a human being. Let us think what we are as human beings who have responsibility to take care of each other.
Second, experienced within the GD Training. Our study tackled building- up equality, empowerment, advocacies, research, leadership, making national project proposal, making good presentation, etc. We also did role- playing and group discussion where the topics are free. We also visited and studied the independent living services in Pataya, Thailand. As I heard, Pataya group of persons with disability have a strong voice to stand for their rights and privileges. The accessible beach is one of the evidences. They also have good services for severe disability persons where the supports commonly came from IL Center’s fishery projects. I was surprised with their 30 baht hospitalization program. They also received 500 baht support for their monthly cost of living. Well, I think, this is one of the results of their strong unity.
The training was very short but very meaningful. However, I felt sad because I wasn’t able to communicate with all participants for many consequences. Participants came from different countries so without interpreter we always encountered conflicts of languages. I can only communicate with friends who can speak or understood English. Anyhow, I wish I can do sign language very well so that I can also communicate with hearing impaired friends. I want to make friendship to everybody.
In view with many lessons we learned, I wish to consider one point of view wherein the differenced of giving rights as a human being like an ordinary individual or giving equality for the sake of bitterness and self-pity. I think that this is a problem how the world accepts a persons with disability or with impairment with their own willingness and with the idea of equality. This thinks coordinates with building- up equality disregarding whether with impairments or not. I think it is not the solution of the issue of who is handicapped person in a true meaning, as far as a handicapped person is receiving pity and an object of relief. Well, may be I will just ask all of you. Do you care for persons with disability for the sake of obligations as part of your job? Or, because you wanted to be a good person in a view of doing well to handicapped person? Or, do you find yourself as same as the persons with differently - able bodies? ，
Indeed, for any reasons of disability we shouldn’t think it as an object of relief. It is not only the weak side that we should look up. See and recognized the strong sides, the talents, expertise, skills that we can use to improve our personality. Furthermore, we should also consider what an individual wanted to do and wanted to be. What will make us happy? What will make and makes us hurt and felt deprived? What will make us strong and weak? There are so many threats but we should always come to think of giving opportunities and chances to experience what we wanted to understand and understood.
(3) Finally, My special experience with my best friend Tum. Inside the UN ESCAP a new toilet for persons with disability was created. Tum San (electric wheelchair user) and I together with Akeyama San , UN ESCAP expert, made a barrier- free check of the said toilet. The door was so heavy and very hard to open. Inside the toilet the emergency button seems like the push button so for the blind it is very confusing. Making toilet for PWD really needs to consider many ASPECTS like the size, FLOOR AREA AND HEIGHT of the door, BOWL, LABATORY, HANDRILL ARE accessible for ANY KIND OF DISABILITY? Etc...…Honestly speaking, we have many laws for considerations of accessible facilities for PWD. However, please observe that even the facilities of government agencies where it should and must be the model of accessible building. Most of the government offices or establishments are not actually accessible for PWD. Commonly for visually impaired persons, it is very hard to mobilized inside the building: for physically impaired friends, their main barrier is how to get inside the building. Most of the buildings are design as stairs and slope are not really even friendly. For hearing impaired, if they will not come with their own interpreter the communications are really very hard. Also, please observe that most of the government offices for PWD are far from town or city proper. Most of the offices are placed where transportation are very hard. Who should first implement the ratified law for PWD?
Another experienced of ours was the Elephant and crocodile show. We also went to Sunday market and have shopping while experiencing how hard for the PWD to have recreation. Our whole day activity was so adventurous. First, the problem of transportation; Second, how we can ask for assistance.
It is very hard for us to use the public transportation because sometimes the taxi driver doesn't want us. This is may be because my best friend is using wheelchair and they are getting tired of fixing the wheelchair. Tum San needed to have a quite long conversation with the driver for us to be able to use the taxi. I was so worried for Tum San's daily transportation because she needed to use taxi to commute going to her activities. I never saw the accessible bus. Or may be near to Tum San's house they don't have an accessible bus terminal. Can you imagine how rich those wheelchair users because without taxi it is very hard for them to commute to go to other place.
Anyway, after the long way run going to elephant show we felt happy and comfortable for we found the zoo as accessible. Except the toilet again! I wonder how the engineers think when they are making toilets. More so, I think before giving permit on establishing any recreations or any establishments as provided by the law, staff or employees must have at least knowledgeable on how to assist persons with disability. Anyway, we enjoyed the day very much.
On that day we remember our days when we were Duskin trainee in Japan. We also have the same experience when we were in Tokyo Disney Sea. We wanted to enjoy the horror hotel but because the staff don't have any knowledge or may be she don't like the PWD enjoyed the days with Tokyo Disney Sea... My best friend Tum wasn't able to get inside the horror hotel. It is funny how that I also have disability and I was able to experience the life inside the said hotel. We made so many discussions with the staff but still at the end she insisted that the hotel is dangerous for the PWD in times of emergency. Well, in my idea if they can not secure our safety in times of emergency whether with disability or without disability it must be close because it is not safe. Ops! Sorry for the very frank message. Anyway, this is a long way story.
Finally, I will just say that Tum's San and I friendship started when we were Duskin trainee in Japan but the friendship never end even if the training have finished. In spite of, we strengthens our friendship as in like a real sisters. I think, it should be a model for all trainees that we should not make friendship only inside the training and after the training we just lost contacts and communications until we just found out that it was just a memory. Well, I will left my final line as: We should make friendship because we want to have a real friend. We shouldn't have friendship because we have intention of having something
Thank you so much.
Posted by jicafriends at July 10, 2009 07:20 PM