International Women's Day 2021: Women in Counter Wildlife Trafficking
Disrupting Transnational Wildlife Criminal Syndicates
Senior Customs Inspector Arintchai pushed for the investigation of wildlife crime cases in the Thai Customs when the agency was more focused on seizing contrabands. In 2017 and 2018, she participated in Counter-Transnational Organized Crime (CTOC) workshops supported by USAID Wildlife Asia. Senior Inspector Arintchai is now one of the trainers helping law enforcement officers in the region identify and disrupt transnational criminal syndicates involved in wildlife trafficking. Recognizing that law enforcement agencies are often more effective when there is an appropriate gender balance, USAID Wildlife Asia has been working with its counterparts in the region to encourage the participation of more women law enforcers in training, and actively engages women into its pool of trainers.
Promoting a Wildlife-Free Lifestyle through Corporate Social Responsibility
Ms. Le Thi Thu Thuy is a businesswoman and the focal point for VCCI in its efforts to end the illegal trade and consumption of wildlife among Vietnamese businesspeople. Knowing that Vietnamese businesses are entering a new stage of economic integration that will require higher business standards, she is championing a wildlife-free lifestyle through corporate social responsibility, convincing entrepreneurs that this will benefit their businesses as well as contribute to biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. Through the CHI III Initiative, USAID Wildlife Asia works with VCCI to effectively and positively shift behavior among the business community to reduce the demand for illegal wildlife and their products.
Trailblazing Environmental Jurisprudence
Justice Suntariya Muanpawong, a judge and currently Secretary of the Court of Appeal, Region I Thailand, is one of the growing number of women judges who are committed to environmental jurisprudence. She is a lead author in establishing the Environmental Court of Thailand. She plays many important advisory roles in the government and has consistently been an advocate for wildlife conservation. The Supreme Court of Thailand is a key Thai government counterpart for the USAID Wildlife Asia project and Judge Muanpawong played an influential role in making that happen. The Supreme Court of Thailand and USAID partnership builds awareness within the Supreme Court and its specialized divisions and courts, develops wildlife-specific curriculum development for the Judicial Institute, supports research on judicial policy innovations and best practices, and promotes field visits to courthouses within wildlife crime hotspots in Thailand