The Rights For All Programme seeks to empower sectors of the Burmese migrant population in Thailand who are particularly isolated and stigmatized, namely youth, women, migrant families and migrants in times of physical or mental crisis.
Background:
All migrants experience hardships and dangers in Thailand and have difficulty exercising their rights, but certain sectors are even more vulnerable to discrimination, marginalization, and abuse with impunity. Women from Burma experience violence in Burma, on their journey to Thailand and while living and working in Thailand. Migrant youth fall between different sets of non-matching policies, regarding working age, access to education, etc. Because of the dire economic and political situation in Burma, people migrate with their families, and thus need to be able to access services and facilities and documentation for families including birth registration, schooling, qualifications etc. The situation in Burma also means that migrants have very poor health when they arrive and then work in hard conditions thus further exposing them to injuries and diseases. While they may be able to access medical assistance in hospitals, they also require safe places to stay between hospital appointments or during recuperation.
CRISIS SUPPORT/EMERGENCY HOUSE
MAP strives to support migrants who are facing crises and provide accommodation and care for those in need. Navigating the governmental systems in Thailand, with complicated bureaucratic procedures, language barriers and high costs, while in the midst of a crisis, often without family members to help can be an extremely intimidating process for migrants. We help to direct migrants in the health care system, providing interpreters for the hospitals with the help of Friends of Migrant organization, and visiting those in need. Migrants who become ill or face other emergencies often consequently lose their jobs and are in need of safe accommodation and care. MAP has an emergency house, that can house around 30-40 migrants, generally for a period of one to two months. Migrants who receive free health services from Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot (http://www.maetaoclinic.org/) may be referred to the MAP Emergency House when they require extensive medical care only available in Chiang Mai. In addition to general care, our emergency house holds Thai classes and activities for children.
WOMEN'S EXCHANGE
The Women?s Exchange Network is a network of girls and women working along the Burmese borders, who meet once a month locally and once a year with representatives from each region to learn about and discuss critical issues, health, violence against women, rights and family planning. Women?s Exchange began as a monthly forum in Chiang Mai for migrant women from different ethnicities to come together to discuss their situation and find ways to address problems. The concept of Women Exchange spread to the border and migrant and refugee women started groups along the Thai-Burma border. There are now 10 such monthly meetings all along the Thai-Burma border and two in India. Through these meetings, migrant women identified violence as one of their major concerns and developed ARM (Automatic Response Mechanism) a ten step guide for what migrant women can do in cases of sexual and physical abuse. ARM has been produced in English, Thai, Burmese, Shan and Karen and three editions have already been distributed (over 5,000 copies). Following the production of ARM, all international NGOs and UNHCR developed protocols in the refugee camps for refugee women in case of sexual and physical abuse.
EDUCATION & IDENTITY
MAP works with migrant families to ensure they can fulfil their potential, and exercise their rights by accessing necessary services, facilities and documentation. In an effort to protect the rights of children of migrants and migrant youth, MAP promotes birth registration of children, helps in obtaining documents for stateless persons, and facilitates access to Thai schools for migrant children in accordance with Thai?s ?Education for All? policy. MAP supports the establishment of migrant schools and also participates in a committee organized by the Ministry of Education to examine options for cross cultural education. In addition, MAP seeks to educate youth on their labour rights and special protections under labour law.
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