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#InternationalDayOfEducation: Every human being has the right to education!
👩🎓 On 24 January, we celebrate International Day of Education! Education is not only a universal fundamental human right, but also a powerful weapon that can transform our lives by enabling us to live our dreams.
🚪Educating future generations and opening the door to meaningful opportunities is the only way we can eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and ultimately achieve sustainable development.
🇹🇭 However, in reality, marginalized groups in Thailand are still met with a range of challenges in receiving a quality education. Here is an overview from our research 📝
➡️ LGBTIQ+ children and youth face discrimination at schools. In particular, transgender persons don't have access to adequate facilities (e.g. gender neutral restrooms).
➡️ Isaan children and youth are denied the use of their mother language–a Lao Isaan–at schools, in the name of 'Thainess' which has devastating effects on their culture.
➡️ Due to the lack of Thai citizenship, many indigenous peoples are denied basic rights and services, such as education.
➡️ Inclusive education is still not achieved for persons with disabilities. As the lack of specially qualified personnel remains a serious issue, some schools refuse to enroll persons with disabilities.
➡️ Children in the Southern Border Provinces face difficulties accessing education. Children of insurgents are often stigmatized at school and older children sometimes drop out completely to financially support their families, especially in cases when the breadwinner of the family is detained.
🚨This is not a country where the right to education has been achieved!
#WeAreManushyan ♾ Equal Human Beings
✊Every human being has the right to education, regardless of their social or economic status, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation or any other characteristics that present a barrier to important opportunities. Join us in our call to the Thai government to ensure that every child and youth has access to inclusive and equitable quality education!
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References
Manushya Foundation, Everything You Need to Know About #WhatsHappeningInThailand, (2021), available at: https://www.manushyafoundation.org/thailand-third-upr-cycle-factsheets
UNDP, Tolerance but not inclusion: a national survey on experiences of discrimination and social attitudes towards LGBT people in Thailand, (2 December 2019,) available at: https://www.undp.org/publications/tolerance-not-inclusion
Tyrosvoutis, G., Bridges: Participatory action research on the future of migrant education in Thailand, (November 2019), available at: https://helpwithoutfrontiers.org/resources/bridges-participatory-action-research-on-the-future-of-migrant-education-in-thailand
The Human Rights Violations in Isaan Monitoring Group, Sai Thong Rak Pah Network, Amnat Charoen Friend of Women Center, Isaan Gender Diversity Network (IGDN), Manushya Foundation and the Thai CSOs Coalition for the UPR, Joint UPR Submission: The Rights of Khon Isaan (Isaan people) in Thailand, for the UN Universal Periodic Review of Thailand (3rd UPR Cycle), 39th Session of the UPR Working Group, March 2021, available at: https://www.manushyafoundation.org/thailand-third-upr-cycle-factsheet-khon-isaan
UNICEF, Seen, Counted, Included: Using data to shed light on the well-being of children with disabilities, (January 2022), available at: https://data.unicef.org/resources/children-with-disabilities-report-2021/?_gl=1*ooa7lh*_ga*MTUwODUwMTY1OC4xNjc0NDYxNjE3*_ga_ZEPV2PX419*MTY3NDQ2MTYxOS4xLjAuMTY3NDQ2MTYxOS4wLjAuMA