On 1 January 2026, the Royal Thai Government Gazette published the Criminal Code Amendment Act (No. 30), B.E. 2568 (2025), which took effect retrospectively from 31 December 2025. The essence of this legislative reform is to clarify the legal definition and the constituent elements of the offence regarding “Sexual Harassment”. Furthermore, it significantly increases the prescribed penalties, elevating the charge from what was previously classified merely as a summary offence (petty offence).
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On February 27th, the SHero Thailand Foundation, led by Busayapa Srisompong (Founder and Executive Director), participated in the academic seminar titled “Sexual Harassment: Have We Made Progress, or Are We Not There Yet?!” hosted by the Faculty of Law, Thammasat University (Tha Phra Chan Campus).
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“Sexual harassment is essentially an abuse of power imbalances, where those with greater power exercise it over those with less. These power dynamics are driven by various factors, such as age, professional status, and gender attributes…” — Dr Sirinthip Somjai (Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Thammasat University)
SHero noted that while Thailand has taken a significant step forward in criminalising sexual harassment, critical gaps remain in addressing the complexities of modern-day harassment.
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“Legally, there is no clear definition of what constitutes consent [in sexual offence cases]. This creates a significant disparity when entering the justice system. And when the definition remains unclear, deep-rooted myths surrounding victim-blaming often discourage victims in many cases from pursuing justice any further.” — Busayapa Srisompong (Director, SHero Thailand)
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Key areas for development include:
