Miss Senah Deesa-eh’s intervention at the 15th Session of the Forum on Minority Issues Geneva, 1-2 December 2022 – Southern Association of Disabilities Agenda Item 3: Rethink on minority rights defenders and their role in promoting the principles of the Declaration Mr. Chair My name is Senah Deesa-eh. I am working as a vice president of the Southern Association of Disabilities in Thailand. I would like to represent Malay Muslim women with disabilities who are a minority ethnic group in a conflict area who are affected and excluded by intersectional discrimination from the economy, social structure, and participation in the peace process as a result of policy makers' neglect and their implementation. In particular, we are more vulnerable to sexual harassment as victims and face barriers to accessing the criminal justice system. Consequently, there are no complaints on sexual harassment issues, and none of these offenders are punished. Even though the CRPD, Constitution, regulations, and policies safeguard the rights of persons with disabilities in Thailand, the government’s practices do not include and empower the rights of those in a minority group on an equal basis with others. Notably, its implementation is inconsistent with the Declaration. As a minority rights defender for Malay Muslim persons with disabilities, I would like to propose two recommendations: 1. A call to action from the Royal Thai Government to enforce relevant legislations based on contexts and the needs of persons with disabilities in the minority groups. 2. A call to action from this United Nations Forum to support and promote a meaningful participation of the minority rights defenders with disabilities to reflect their existing challenges at the international level. Thank you for your attention. (Thai version) เรียนท่านประธาน ดิฉน ั สือนะ ดีสะเอะ อุปนายกสมาคมคนพิการภาคใต้ของประเทศไทย ขอเป็ นตัวแทนผูห ้ ญิงพิการมลายูมุสลิมซึ่งเป็ นชนกลุม ่ น้อยในพื้นทีค ่ วามขัดแย้ งทีไ่ ด้รบ ั ผลกระทบจากการเลือกปฏิบตั ท ิ ท ี่ บ ั ซ้อน สภาพเศรษฐกิจ โครงสร้างทางสังคม และการมีสว่ นร่วมในกระบวนการสันติภาพ เนื่องจากไม่ได้รบ ั ความใส่ใจจากผูก ้ าหนดนโยบายและระดับปฏิบตั ิ