Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bangkok Post - August 7, 2009
Achara Ashayagachat
Caitlin Wiesen, the HIV/Aids programme coordinator (Asia-Pacific) for the United Nations Development Programme, yesterday said the mock court made up of scholars, feminist activists and a judge was a form of justice for women had who been victimised.
"Many women are losing jobs, which is forcing them to look overseas for work, but meanwhile many countries in the region are accepting fewer migrants," Ms Wiesen said.
Twenty-two factory workers, entertainment and sex workers, trafficked women, drug addicts and people living with HIV and Aids yesterday gave testimony before the court.
The jury comprised law professor Vitit Muntarbhorn, a regular contributor to the Bangkok Post; Marina Mohamad, a daughter of former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad; and Indonesian supreme judge Mike Komar Kantaatmadja.
Nelia Sancho, regional coordinator for the Asian Women's Human Rights Council, said the women who gave testimony - from Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, the Philippines, Burma and Indonesia - had overcome fear, pain and shame to discuss their problems on behalf of society at large.
The court was launched in conjunction with the International Congress on Aids in Asia and the Pacific, being held in Bali next week. Corinne Kumar, international coordinator for the Courts of Women, said the Bali launch of the Southeast Asia Court of Women on HIV, Human Trafficking and Migration was the 37th court since the introduction of this methodology in 1993.
Earlier courts have dealt with issues specific to various regions including Africa, the Arab world, the Mediterranean and Central and South America.
"The court exposes the plight of women who are victims of violence, which has long been considered a private matter. So much that no one talks about it - there is an overwhelming silence," Ms Kumar said.
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