January - February at Manushya - Kick Start the Busy Year with Us!

We are back with our monthly recap for the month of January and February! We started off the year 2021 with two extremely busy months and we are excited to share with you our works, our achievements along with some behind the scenes pictures!

January was a new beginning for many, including us. We started the year by planning many exciting projects and campaigns which we can’t wait to share with you! We first launched our collaboration with Shero “Domestic Violence is a Crime!” aiming to ensure that every survivor of domestic violence can access justice and that the Thai society stop normalizing domestic violence!

#SaveNittaya was the other campaign we launched to raise awareness on Nittaya and the Sab Wai villagers’ cases as they have been unfairly charged and convicted because of the unjust implementation of the Forest Reclamation Policy. We aimed to ensure that they get the justice they deserve!

#SafeAbortion movement had a crucial development in January, as the penal code was amended to allow abortion within 12 weeks without any condition. But it is still a crime beyond the 12 weeks’ time limit. So, we joined our friends, TamTang Group, to fight for the complete decriminalization of abortion, by protesting, raising awareness through webinar, interview, social media, and video.

Censorship and threats on Freedom of Expression were also pressing concerns as January started off with Thailand’s court ruling the longest sentence ever under Article 112 (47 years) against Anchan, an elderly woman, just for sharing video clips about the monarchy! Thanathorn was also charged with lèse majesté just for voicing questions on the involvement of the monarchy in Thailand’s Covid19 vaccine deal. So, we denounced the overwhelming use of 112 to criminalize dissents and call to #Abolish112 as it violates International Human Rights Standards!

The first day of February was marked by Myanmar’s coup d’état along with internet shutdowns, undermining democracy and freedoms both online and offline! To respond to the urgency of the situation and out of regional solidarity, Manushya Foundation and our regional partners hosted a crucial webinar on “Myanmar’s Digital Coup” as an attempt to #StopDigitalDictatorship, giving Burmese activists at the forefront of the resistance a safe space to voice out their opinions on #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar and give practical solutions on how to resist!

#SaveNada #SaveLooknoo were also part of our advocacy efforts in February, when we worked along our amazing transgender rights activist, Nada and Looknoo, to fight back the transphobic cyberbullying and death threats they faced from a journalist. We stood by their side in filing a complaint to Thairath and to the National Human Rights Commission to investigate the misconduct and inappropriate behavior of the journalist.

We would also like to give a special thanks to Lila who ended her internship with us back in January! We wish you the very best of luck and hope you come visit us soon! Stay tuned as we welcomed new team members in March!

Two months really flew by so fast for us! We are so excited to see what March has to bring and we can’t wait to share it with you all!

Thank you again for the love and support you give us and our works! See you in March!