THAILAND PROPOSALS FOR EAP WOMEN'S ISSUES FUND COMPETITION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BANGKOK 005966 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/RSP - RUTH KURZBAUER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID KWMN KPAO KCRM TH SUBJECT: THAILAND PROPOSALS FOR EAP WOMEN'S ISSUES FUND COMPETITION REF: STATE 136319 ¶1. As requested in reftel, post supports the following proposals for the EAP/RSP Women's Issues Fund (WIF) Small Grants Competition. The information provided is as submitted by the organization. Proposals are listed in order of post's preference: PROPOSAL ONE -------------- a) Name of applicant: New Life Center Foundation b) Project title: Protecting Ethnic Minority Women from Human Trafficking c) Total amount requested: $25,000 d) Project overview: The New Life Center Foundation has provided services to girls at risk for human trafficking, and victims of human trafficking, since its inception in 1987. Over the past ten years, global awareness about the trade in humans has increased significantly. Thailand has responded by implementing country-wide anti-trafficking campaigns, improving protection for victims, and opening up a 24 hr telephone hotline to report suspected cases. These efforts have resulted in a highly significant decrease in the amount of girls and women being trafficked to and through Thailand, specifically in the sex trade industry. While these efforts and their results are laudable, ethnic minorities throughout Thailand and the broader Mekong sub region remain critically vulnerable to continued exploitation. Chronic risk factors (such as the lack of legal Thai citizenship, functional illiteracy, and unawareness of human rights) plague tribal communities and persons. Cultural traditions continue to place the burden of economic responsibility for the family on its daughters. Recent referrals to the New Life Center, and similar cases at other NGO's, indicate that young tribal girls continue to be sexually assaulted in their villages, forced into domestic labor in which they are not paid, and denied educational opportunities. Tribal girls are continually forced into sex work- not at the traditional "brothel" that existed just 2-3 years ago- but at a variety of venues, including restaurants, shop houses, local markets, and karaoke bars. Activities for this project will focus on the two main anti-TIP elements in which the New Life Center Foundation excels and can provide with distinction: prevention of trafficking, and protection for victims. Prevention will include education for girls most highly vulnerable to TIP within Thailand. Prevention activities will also include the continuation and strengthening of the NLCF's anti-trafficking campaigns for ethnic minorities throughout the region, with a focus on the Akha tribal group in China. Protection of victims will include safe shelter, interpretation assistance, therapeutic art, music, and sports activities, expert counseling, educational and vocational skill building, and the development of a life and repatriation plan (as appropriate). Expected results for the project include the following: *decreased vulnerability for ethnic minorities to human trafficking, all types of abuse, and labor exploitation *protection of victims of labor exploitation (including TIP) and girls at risk in safe shelter *empowerment of TIP victims and vulnerable girls through education, life skills training, and therapeutic activities *expeditious repatriation for victims of TIP as appropriate *respect and dignity for victims of TIP and girls at risk through the promotion of human rights. PROPOSAL TWO -------------- a) Name of applicant: People's Empowerment - Empowering People for a Strong Civil Society b) Project title: Community Development and Career Enhancement for Vulnerable Women Groups in Narathiwat, Southern Thailand. c) Total amount requested: $25,000 d) Project overview: This project aims to be a part of conflict resolution in the Deep South of Thailand by supporting the economic initiatives for vulnerable women groups for the purpose of restoring their human security, particularly economic security, in parallel with the restoration of political security put forward by the government and other organisations. Human security and national security are not separate concepts. Without human security, national security cannot be attained and vice versa. As recommended by the United Nations, peace-building needs the combination of 2 important parts: 'Freedom from Fear' and 'Freedom from Want', one meaning of 'Human Security'.1 According to our research, we found that "Freedom from Fear" is carried out by a number of organisations operating in BANGKOK 00005966 002 OF 003 the affected southern region to ensure that human rights and justice of the people are protected, while there are not as many organisations working on "Freedom from Want". Thus, this project will be a pilot project for community development in Southern Thailand focusing on "Freedom from Want". Results from initial fact-finding missions demonstrate that although women have experienced less direct violence than men, they are affected indirectly by being forced to take over the role of the breadwinners in the family due to the fact that men are targeted by both the insurgents and state authorities. Hence, the women groups in those areas are the most appropriate starting point for the project. There are 10 women sewing groups in a connected area in Narathiwat province which are suitable for and disposed to the pilot project: 2 groups in Bajao, 2 groups in Yingo, 2 groups in Bann Thon, 2 groups in Maikan and 2 groups in Jor Irong. These sewing groups rely on the production and export of headscarves to Malaysia. Due to their reliance on a single product and a single customer they consequently suffer from exploitation and cannot make a sustainable living. The aim of the project is to assist these women groups in diversifying their income-generating activities - by supporting them in product development, marketing, and cost management - to give them a chance to participate equally and freely on the market to avoid further exploitation. After the pilot project ends, the participating women will have improved skills to continue development and marketing of competitive products for enhanced independence and sustainability in their living. The scheme will shift to other women groups in different distressed areas in the South. A part of the earnings will go into a self-managed 'Fund for career enhancement of distressed women' to enable the women communities to carry out further activities in a long-term by themselves. PROPOSAL THREE -------------- a) Name of applicant: Kachin Women's Association Thailand (KWAT) b) Project title: Women's Self Employment Project Based on Traditional Weaving c) Total amount requested: $25,000 d) Project overview: This project seeks to empower Kachin women living in the village of Banmai Samaki in Chiang Dao Province north of Chiang Mai, by fostering and promoting their economic independence. The need for such a project is recognised at an international level: one of the Millennium Development Goals is to halve world poverty by 2015 and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has argued that if this objective is to be achieved, there must be a strong focus on rural poverty. IFAD also notes that there are no 'quick fixes' and the patronage approach does not work. These observations have influenced our approach to this project. Twenty five years ago the land for the village was given in perpetuity to the Kachin community living in the area, by the King of Thailand. The village now comprises 105 households but the families live in poverty because they are almost totally reliant upon subsistence farming: paid employment is insecure; there is poor access to education and health care, and there is high fertility. We are proposing a project that is community led and based upon the needs identified by the women themselves. The women seek to learn weaving and sewing skills so that they can establish their own businesses by producing cloth in the traditional Kachin style, and then manufacturing finished items for sale to outside markets. This project will empower ten women to take responsibility for their own economic development by providing the human development (training) and the asset building (resources) required to enable them to utilise the only assets they currently possess ie time and labour. We will also provide them with access to microcredit facilities and to national and international markets (see below under penultimate item). This nucleus of ten women will 'cascade' their newly acquired skills to other women in the village through the apprenticeship model, and it is anticipated that as each individual business develops, it will create employment for those women who do not wish to be self employed. Financial independence will enable the women to provide for themselves and their families: to feed themselves and their children better; to access health advice, particularly reproductive health advice for themselves and better health care for their children; and to pay for the education of their children thereby helping to break the current cycle of poverty. It will also enhance their status within the community, and their sense of personal dignity, so BANGKOK 00005966 003 OF 003 that they are encouraged to take a greater leadership role within the village. The older women will be consulted regarding traditional designs and dying techniques etc and the project will serve to enhance a feeling of pride in the Kachin culture, so that community cohesiveness is strengthened overall. ¶2. A warranted grants officer authorized to award the full value of these grants is currently stationed at Embassy Bangkok. An officer in post's Political Section will serve as Grants Officer's Representative (GOR). ¶3. The point of contact for Women's Issues at Embassy Bangkok is Political Officer Guy Margalith, MargalithG@state.gov. BOYCE