Page 38 - งานเชิดชูเกียรติผู้หญิงนักปกป้องสิทธิมนุษยชน วันสตรีสากล 2562

Based on the complaints that the National Human Rights
Commission has received, human rights defenders, mostly women,
often face legal threats. Prosecution has had a huge impact on the way
of life of women human rights defenders. As a mother, a wife, a child
who is an important force of the family. Litigation to counter the work
of human rights defenders, or strategic lawsuits against public participation,
threaten the freedom of expression of W/HRDs who protect public interests.
These tactics aim to instill fear in defenders and society.
Many women and human rights defenders have been prosecuted
as part of judicial harassment campaigns, facing both civil and criminal
charges. Even though most of these judgments result in acquittals, the
quest for justice takes many years and has a huge impact on individuals
and families, both economically and socially. If more lawsuits like this
continue, the result will be the loss of important values of democracy,
namely the value of protection and auditing for transparency for public
interest.
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, on behalf of the
National Human Rights Commission and as a WHRD, I recognize the
importance of women human rights defenders, and I recognize the need
to acknowledge them and their work. We should honor WHRDs as they
play an important role in fighting to protect human rights in situations
where the rights and liberty of people have been restricted, as they are
today.

37