Children's Access to Justice for Environmental Rights | Thailand

This report looks at whether the laws and policies in Thailand make it possible for children to access their environmental rights. 

In Thailand, the Constitution protects citizens’ rights to the sustainable management of the environment and sets out the country’s and Thai people’s duties to conserve and protect the environment. The country has a fundamental environmental law, as well as a number of other laws that regulate environment and health. Thai youth have demanded climate justice through strikes in recent years, however children’s civil and political rights are subject to some concerning limitations. Child protesters have been charged, for example, under Thailand’s strict lèse-majesté provisions - a law named after the French term for "to do wrong to majesty". Between November 2020 and August 2021, as the youth-led, pro-democracy movement gained momentum, 124 individuals were charged under the lèse-majesté provision, including at least eight children under the age of 18.

This report was published in April 2022 and developed with the support of Dr. Victor Karunan as well as finalised based on any feedback from the State of Thailand. To learn more read the full report below, and please get in touch if this information was useful and you want to talk more.