Theerasak Prompunjai. The existence of civil society organizations fighting violence against women : a case study of one organization in Northeast of Thailand . Master's Degree(Medical and Health Social Sciences). Mahidol University. : Mahidol University, 2005.
The existence of civil society organizations fighting violence against women : a case study of one organization in Northeast of Thailand
Abstract:
This study investigated the Mae Ying Esarn Group, a civil society organization
in the northeast of Thailand that works to stop violence against women. This work
covers the beginning, development, characteristics of the existence, and core factors
that influence the existence. This study was conducted through interviews and
observations with members of the group, victims of violence, villagers and community
leaders.
The results of study revealed that the beginning of the Mae Ying Esarn Group
was the gathering of villagers aware of the social disadvantages of women who set up
the organization in 1983. Development of the organization could be split to 4 phases
which were: (1) networking leaders of women community organizations, (2) linking
non-governmental organizations, (3) correlating with government offices, and (4)
facing a crisis of the organization. The phases reflect the life cycle of a network from
setting up to regression.
The organization could be characterized as a network of women community
leaders, both formal and natural leaders, running activities for solving violence against
women in 7 forms: (1) consulting, (2) temporary sheltering, (3) empowerment, (4)
advocacy, (5) interfering upon crisis, (6) coordinating for helps, and (7) preventing
violence against women. The core factors influencing the existence were leader
potentiality, being network of community organizations, adhering housewives as
focused groups, supports from non-governmental organizations, and trends of the
womens movement.
However, the existence rather depends on external support from nongovernmental
organizations from central Thailand, and has problems with
management. Accordingly, the organization is able to exist but is not strong. Thus, this
study recommends that solving violence against women should use the social capital
in a community, such as a community organization network, by building up the
consciousness of gender-based violence against women and emphasizing on
organization management for equal and continuous learning.