The exhibition offered a space for participants to pause and reflect, translating the panel’s discussions into visual and narrative form. By centering the perspectives of women migrant workers, it highlighted creative expression as a tool for empowerment, connection, and prevention, and reinforced the role of creativity, culture, and peer support in addressing violence against women migrant workers.
The exhibition and panel discussion were part of the International Migrants Day Symposium hosted by Chulalongkorn University and partners under the theme “The 7-Cs of Migration: Confronting Challenges and Catalysing Solutions.” The symposium brought together around 100 participants, including government representatives, civil society organizations, law enforcement officers, UN officials, students, researchers, and academics.
Kyan Par, President of the Network of Migrant Domestic Workers in Thailand with HomeNet Thailand, reflected on the role of peer networks in reaching women who remain largely invisible within labour systems. Drawing on more than 20 years of lived and organizing experience, she emphasized that trust often comes before formal services: “Many domestic workers experience violence behind closed doors. Peer networks create trust. They are often the first place women turn to for help and advice before any formal service.”
Yuhanee Jehka, Regional Manager of HOST International Thailand, shared perspectives from working with migrant and refugee communities rebuilding their lives in Thailand, noting how storytelling and visual media can help shift harmful narratives and reduce stigma: “When migrants tell their own stories, communities begin to see them differently. Creativity helps humanize experiences that are often reduced to statistics.”
Moderated by Nighina Azizov, Programme Specialist on Ending Violence against Women at UN Women Asia-Pacific, the discussion highlighted how peer networks can strengthen coordinated responses to violence in migration contexts.
“Ending violence against women migrant workers requires us to listen differently,” she said. “By centring creativity and peer networks, we are creating space for women to share their stories and shape solutions, not just receive them.”