November - Campaign Month for Ending Violence against Women

Brief Description

The Office of Women's Affairs and Family Development, together with partner organizations, organises an annual campaign each November, which is the Campaign Month for Ending Violence against Women. The 25th of November has been designated as the national ‘Ending VAW' day. Each year, the campaign is launched at the beginning of the month of November, and is carried out throughout that month. The main message of the campaign is to promote public awareness of violence against women as a serious social problem in Thailand which has detrimental effects on the family, and community, as well as society as a whole. The campaign addresses mainly the physical, mental and sexual violence against women and girls, especially those resulting from the lack of understanding and misconceptions of the society that violence is a private business so the community/ the society do not have any roles to play in assisting victims. The campaign has tried to instill new values and attitudes in society that domestic violence is no longer a husband-and-wife matter but it is a public duty of everyone to report domestic violence should she/he witnesses such situation. The campaign uses print media (handouts), radio and television spots and programmes, mobile exhibitions, as well as public forums and seminars to raise awareness of violence against women across the country.

As part of the November Campaign Month for Ending Violence against Women, the Office of Women's Affairs and Family Development and its partner organizations, including the media and the private sector has launched the White Ribbon Campaign and the Gentlemen against VAW Campaign in order to engage men and boys in addressing violence against women. The campaigns, which are launched in November every year, include  the collection of signatures, as well as the distribution of ‘white ribbon' necktie pins to men and boys, notably public figures such as the Prime Minister, politicians and celebrities, to put it on the shirt as a sign of commitment to end violence against women. The main message of the campaign is that men and boy can, and should play a part in the elimination of violence against women by ‘Not Committing, Not Approving and Not Neglecting' should violence against women happens.