Gender Equality bill enacted | Prachatai English

The junta-appointed parliament has passed the 2015 Gender Equality Act. The law imposes a jail term of up to six months for anyone committing gender discrimination.

The latest version of the law, announced in the Royal Gazette on 8 March, has removed controversial elements which upheld exceptions for gender discrimination in three situations where equality was not mandated. These exceptions were education, religion and the public interest.

The law will be enacted in August. Article 3 of the law stipulates:

“‘Unfair discrimination among the sexes’ means any act or failure to act which segregates, obstructs or limits any rights, whether directly or indirectly, without legitimacy because that person is male or is female or has a sexual expression different from that person’s original sex.”

The bill also stipulates the establishment of three organizations to protect and promote gender equality. These are: (1) the Committee on the Promotion of

Gender Equality, which will be responsible for promoting gender equality and receiving petitions on sexual discrimination; (2) the Committee for Ruling on

Gender Discrimination Cases, which will consider and rule on complaints related to discrimination and issue remedies for those who are discriminated against; and (3) the Fund for the Promotion of Gender Equality.

Whoever is found guilty of gender discrimination face a jail term of up to six months or a fine of up to 20,000 baht or both.

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