More than 300 women’s rights activists marched at Chiang Mai University (CMU) on March 8 to mark International Women’s Day, chanting: “War! What is it good for? Nothing! WOW.”

The slogan “WOW” stands for Women Oppose War, highlighting the movement’s message that women stand against war and violence.

The march brought together migrant women workers, ethnic minority women, LGBTQ+ individuals, sex workers, and women human rights defenders, who jointly called for eight key demands aimed at promoting gender equality.

“The main demand is gender equality — equal rights in wages, livelihoods, and security,” said Tong Kham from the MAP Foundation, which supports Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand, speaking to SHAN.

Among the key demands were the decriminalization of sex work and recognition of sex workers as workers, the introduction of paid menstrual leave, and the provision of free menstrual products.

Participants also called for interpretation services and complaint mechanisms for migrant workers, as well as greater access to reproductive health services for young people.
Activists further pointed to legal repression against human rights defenders and violations of land rights as structural problems that must be addressed.

They urged the Thai government to effectively implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and called on media organizations to stop reinforcing discriminatory stereotypes.

Photo: Sai Harn Lin / SHAN