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Watcharapon (Sia) Kukaewkasem

Watcharapon (Sia) Kukaewkasem

Women's Empowerment in SE Asia

Founder & Director, Freedom Restoration Project
Mae Sot, Take Province, Thailand

Topics Include:

  • Gender-Based Violence & Survivor Advocacy: Giving Every Woman a Voice
  • The Intersection of Migration, Gender, and Violence: Challenges Faced by Migrant and Refugee Women in Southeast Asia
  • Systemic Change: Transforming beliefs, behaviors, and policy around Gender Equality in Thailand, SE Asia, and globally.

More on her website

Watcharapon (Sia) Kukaewkasem is a social worker, activist, and survivor of domestic violence committed to ending gender-based violence. Born into the Akha ethnic group in rural Thailand, she learned first-hand about statelessness, historical gender roles, and the struggles of migrant communities. In 2016, she founded Freedom Restoration Project (FRP) to empower migrant women and children through survivor-led programs and advocacy, ensuring every woman has a voice and a path to freedom.

Recent Speaking Engagements

  • Speaker at ASEAN Women Leaders Summit, 2024, Vientiane, Laos
  • Speaker at Compassion International: Help End Child Poverty, 2024, Seoul, Korea
  • Speaker at UN Women’s Standing Up: Stories of Courage and Resilience, 2024, Bangkok
  • Speaker at Women and Children in the Context of Migration in ASEAN, the Asia Foundation, 2022
  • Speaker for UN Women’s Hand Over The Mic Series, 2020
  • Speaker at Human Library, 2019, Bangkok
  • Speaker at Dragonfly Summit, 2019, Bangkok
  • Speaker at HeForShe University Tour, 2019, Bangkok
  • Speaker at UN Commemoration: E.Quality Talks, 2018, Bangkok
  • Speaker at Panel session in UN Commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism #HearMeToo, 2018, Bangkok
    Speaker at Azusa Pacific University, USA

In The Media