“That’s what boys do!”

UNIFEM Pilot Project on Gender Sensitivity to Fight Demand for Trafficked Persons Successful with Students

Bangkok, 10 February 2009

“It’s always ok for them to watch pornography. That’s what boys do!” exclaimed a high school-girl on the first day of UNIFEM Gender Sensitivity Trainings. These trainings, held from 4-8 February 2009 for high school students, teachers, and university students, are part of a pilot project by UNIFEM East and South East Asia Regional Office in Bangkok. The project is aimed at the normative aspects of demand for trafficked women, focusing on the role of boys and men in fighting gender inequality. The trainings sought to address misconceptions about gender, precisely like the one expressed by the high school girl above, and became a forum where students eventually learned to question their own daily behaviours and attitudes that were steeped in stereotype and harmful to women.

The trainings were led by Jean Enriquez, Executive Director of CATW-AP [The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women], and Josua Mata, Secretary General of the Alliance for Progressive Labor, who led the discussion by male participants. Sessions on Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children were also included in the program and led by Mark Capaldi, Deputy Director for Programmes, and Kritsana Pimonsaengsuriya, Regional Officer, from ECPAT [End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes]. Each training session lasted two days, at the end of which participants were awarded a certificate from UNIFEM to acknowledge their new awareness.

Participants came to the trainings with a lot of expectations, and the atmosphere was lively as the students, although shy at first, soon got comfortable and made friends. They began to open up in discussions and after a few sessions, the seriousness of the matter became predominant. With males and females in separate groups, they explored the root causes and consequences of gender inequality, grappling with issues of domestic violence and sexual exploitation.

The most impactful session for all participants was the testimony of Marevic Fontanilla, a survivor of child abuse and prostitution. As participants heard her story they became angered at the injustice she had suffered and resolved to prevent violence against women. This was a significant turning point for students, with a complete change in attitude observed in many of them after this session. One of the male high school students said that it gave an important insight into the reality of many women, which he hitherto never really had understood. This new awareness brought an atmosphere of determination and seriousness that marked the discussions for the rest of the day.

At the end of the training the groups came up with action plans to create further awareness of gender issues in their own networks. The participants chosen for the training were student leaders and role models for their peers, and were dedicated to mobilizing their communities with their newly acquired knowledge.

At the end of the final day, upon completing intense back to back trainings from early morning to late evening, when one would expect the trainers to be exhausted, Jean Enriquez gave everyone a bright smile and said, “I feel very energized!” Her feelings were echoed in all the students, who left their trainings with big smiles on their faces.   
As a first step, 70 students and 14 teachers from international schools have undergone Gender Sensitivity Training to challenge the normative behavior that creates demand for trafficked persons. UNIFEM plans to expand this project by hosting more such trainings through the year. They will be conducted both in English and Thai, reaching out to schools outside Bangkok, including in the north. Through building awareness about violence against women and by promoting gender sensitivity, the project will help to challenge prevailing stereotypes and transform young minds in the hope of ending gender based violence and trafficking in women.

top