(สำหรับข่าวประชาสัมพันธ์ภาษาไทย โปรดคลิกที่นี่/For the Thai language version, please click here)
(The below press release is available as a PDF from here)

The COVID-19 outbreak in Malaysia in early March has led to shutdowns of border checkpoints and movement control in the country. As a result, a large number of undocumented Thai workers from the southern border provinces have returned home from Malaysia.

In rural communities, many local people still lack knowledge about good practices in preventing COVID-19, such as social distancing and other self-protective measures. Some of the previously existing information material is only available in Thai language and does not take into account specific cultural practices in the southern border provinces, such as greetings and praying.

To address these challenges, in consultation with women volunteers working in the communities, Oxfam has created a COVID-19 awareness-raising poster in both Thai and Yawi languages. One thousand copies of this poster have been distributed to 400 communities in Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani provinces with support from the European Union under the project of women networks increasing accountability of religious and governmental institutions to reduce violence against women in the Deep South, known in short as the VAW Project. The digital version of the poster is also being widely circulated via social media platforms. Additionally, the Public Health Officers for Social Welfare (PHOS) are producing additional copies for distribution in the three provinces.

The poster will help community women leaders and religious leaders enhance COVID-19 prevention measures in their communities and reduce the potential care burden of women and violence against women due to increased family tension and poverty.

The EU-funded VAW project is implemented by Oxfam and works with three local women networks: Women Network Overcoming Violence based in Pattani, Muslimah Leaders’ Club based in Narathiwat and Yala Muslim Women Association in Yala. The project’s volunteers are now working with the provincial Islamic committees and the provincial public health to curb the COVID-19 situation.

For poster download: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wkAY3Z-oXzNZy9lQ-YcKduIN7GpgdYqE/view?usp=sharing 

For more information, please contact:
European Union: delegation-thailand-pi@eeas.europa.eu
Oxfam: Fitra Jehwoh, Programme Officer, Oxfam, at 062 826 4066 and FJehwoh@oxfam.org.uk