Saisuree Chutikul

For Women & Children

For someone who retired 11 years ago, it seems that Saisuree Chutikul has never worked harder. Serving on the board of directors of World Vision International, as well as chairs of nine other committees, including many speaking engagements, leaves little margin for personal time.

“My calendar is very full,” she says. “Busyness is overwhelming sometimes but I think usually I can manage. It’s not unusual for me to get up at one or two in the morning to work. I try to sleep five hours a night at least, but if not, I sleep in the car.”

A native of Bangkok, Thailand, the focus of her work is centered there on the rights, the protection and the development of the children, women and the disadvantaged groups. Some of the laws and regulations she initiated:
• The revision of the Nationality Act to allow children of Thai mothers and foreign fathers to be able to obtain Thai citizenship automatically.
• The revision of the regulation to allow children without birth certificate or without officially registered house addresses to enter schools.
• The revision of the regulation to increase maternity leave from 45 days to 90 days with full pay.
• The revision of Labor Protection Act to include: monitoring system for child labor standards; an article on gender equality for employment; prohibition of sexual harassment in the workplace or related to the work; punishment clauses for all of the above.
• The Cabinet decision to allow women to take higher positions/ranks in the government, e.g. governors, the rank of “general” in armed forces, etc.
• The Cabinet decision to review the regulations of the Civil Service Commission to prohibit gender discrimination in all promotion and career development paths of women.

“At present, we are working on the revision of the Human Trafficking Act and the Criminal Procedure law related to child protection, the formulation of medically assisted pregnancy law, the child pornography law and a few others related to birth registration and the nationality of children of some disadvantaged groups,” says Saisuree.

She has been working to help children and women who are trafficked internally and cross-bordered since 1989. She has initiated domestic MOU’s [Memorandum of Understanding] as well as bilateral and multilateral MOU’s in the Sub-Region.

As a former member of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, she advocated for women’s rights, building research programs related to children and women, decentralizing women’s development projects to the rural areas, and seeking assistance for girls at risk for prostitution and labor exploiting. In 1998, she was invited to be a part of a ceremony celebrating International Women’s Day at the White House where she was joined by President Bill Clinton and Hilary, Secretary of State Madeline Albright, U.N. Secretary General Kofi-Annan, and Attorney General Janet Reno.

Of course, when Saisuree graduated from Whitworth College with a degree in music, she imagined she would spend her days in the fine arts. “I didn’t plan any of these careers. What I am doing now, what I have been doing the last 20 years, is not something I planned to do. It’s something that opened my way. I have opportunity to do this, I’m willing to do this, and even though it’s not something I seek out to do. It’s God that led me to do all these things.”

While most of her work has been for the rights of women and children, her passion for music spawned some significant work, as well. When she was the Secretary General of the National Youth Bureau, Office of the Prime Minister of Thailand, she organized the first National Piano Concerto competition in Thailand. She founded the Thai Youth Orchestra and initiated a competition for traditional Thai music. She is also one of the founders of the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra. Saisuree has performed with Royal Thai Navy Orchestra and Bangkok Symphony Orchestra (piano).

When Saisuree grows weary of all her work, she says, “I pray that if God wants me to do this He would give me strength. He won’t give me too much that I could not handle it.” After a pause, she adds, “I guess I have to learn to say no too, sometime!”