Showing 1 - 10 of 10
Gender diversity is good for business
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 11/03/2024
» A timely issue raised by a recent forum of key businesses, political leaders and civil society was the potential for more inclusion of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) people in the workplace. This is complementary to the other critically important issue of the day: the role of women in business and employment.
Govt kindles same-sex marriage hopes
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 23/11/2023
» The top of the executive branch has given a welcome signal that it will fast-track in parliament a law to recognise same-sex marriage in Thailand.
Calling Thai domestic abuse to account
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 04/08/2022
» Developing societies (including Thailand) have enjoyed the presence of extended families, in contrast with the smaller unit of nuclear families. This broader coverage, encompassing not only the parents and children but also grandparents and other dependants, has offered a social safety net to support family members. Yet, that extended unit has now been disintegrating for some time, compounded by the stress due to Covid-19. What then are the areas needing more attention to tackle the changing scenario?
Guarding privacy amid digitalisation
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 24/06/2022
» The issue of privacy, especially in terms of the protection of personal data linked to a person's identity, has come to the fore this month due to the coming into force of Thailand's Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). It applies to both public and private entities that keep or process personal data concerning other people and it establishes safeguards to protect people's privacy.
The new face of gender equality
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 09/02/2018
» Welcome to some innovative and refreshing action in favour of gender equality recently! A few days ago, Malaysia’s highest court, the Federal Court, passed a judgement in favour of a Hindu woman whose husband had changed his religion to Islam, without her knowledge, and whose husband then changed the religion of the children to Islam, without the mother’s consent. The court underlined that consent on the part of both parents was needed to change the religion of the children.
Toward global compacts on refugees and migrants
Asia focus, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 29/01/2018
» 2018 is a significant year for the global community to converge on two commitments: the Global Compact on Refugees and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. The seeds for these agreements were sown in 2016 when leaders adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants which called for an international framework for cooperation by 2018. The current momentum is to adopt such compacts in the latter half of 2018, and Thailand has been completing a round of discussions as potential inputs.
Mixed bag in global fight for sexual identity equality
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 04/11/2017
» Everyone has some form of sexual orientation and gender identity. Sexual orientation denotes a person's attraction towards others, while gender identity concerns a person's self-perceived identity, which may be different from the sex assigned at birth, as well as the expression of gender identity. The issue is particularly interlinked with the lives of lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender people, abbreviated as "LGBT". There are implications for Intersex persons (persons born with atypical features) -- abbreviated as "I", although their concerns are more related to the issue of sex characteristics.
SOGI violence must stop right now
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 19/05/2017
» This week is a timely reminder of the need for concerted action to counter the phenomenon of violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), a trend which is pervasive worldwide.
UN's next human security challenge
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 30/05/2016
» The security of the human person -- "human security" -- is of paramount concern whether in war or peace. As a notion to guiding international and national development since the 1990s, it has gained traction in underlining freedom from want, freedom from fear and freedom to live in dignity. It is thus auspicious that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is organising a key international conference tomorrow on human security and sustainable development, sharing and learning between international, regional and national experiences.
How to tackle extremism across Asian communities
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 18/07/2014
» The tide of religious extremism in the Asian region invites immediate attention. While there has been much recent coverage of extremist groups in Syria and Iraq which aim for an Islamic caliphate in their arc of radicalisation, other forms of religious extremism, including Buddhist extremists, have also emerged in South and Southeast Asia. The latter have attacked, as their target, minorities in their midst, particularly Muslim populations, such as Rohingya and other ethnic or religious groups.