Thailand's Gender Equality Act B.E. 2558 (2015) — Complaints Committee and Damages Route, Undercut by Broad Exemptions (Cautionary Case)

Thailand's Gender Equality Act B.E. 2558 received royal assent on 8 March 2015. It defines unfair gender discrimination, creates a Gender Equality Promotion Committee chaired by the Prime Minister, a Committee on Consideration of Unfair Gender Discrimination that decides complaints and can issue protective orders, and a Gender Equality Promotion Fund administered with the Department of Women's Affairs and Family Development.
Complainants may seek damages in court, up to four times actual damages where discrimination was intentional or seriously negligent; breaching committee orders can bring up to six months in prison and/or a fine of up to 20,000 baht.
Cautionary evidence: the CEDAW Committee's concluding observations (CEDAW/C/THA/CO/R.6-7) note that Section 17(2) exempts acts justified by religious principles or national security, that the prohibition does not apply in the Southern Border Provinces under emergency laws, and urge clearer mandates to avoid overlap between the Department and the Act's bodies, and an effective gender-mainstreaming strategy across agencies. No outcome statistics on rulings or remedies were found; the practice is catalogued as a cautionary design case.

Read the full analysis: https://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/cedaw_c_tha_co_6-7_25136_e.pdf