ASIA: Asian Legislators Pledge to Eliminate Violence Against Women

Ministers and parliamentarians from 19 countries in Asia-Pacific have agreed on 'Whole-of-Government Approaches' for the promotion and advancement of actions and legislation on the elimination of violence against women.

This agreement was embodied in a 'statement of commitment' emerging from a conference in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on October 22-23 in run-up to the tenth anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 underlining the role of women in peace and security.

The conference participants -- over 90 female and male parliamentarians – focussed on Actions and Legislations on the Elimination of Violence against Women. They were joined by representatives from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), UNAIDS -- the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS, and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

The conference was organized by the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) in cooperation with the Indonesian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (IFPPD) and supported by the AusAID -- the Australian Government's Overseas Aid Program, and UNFPA.

According to conference sources, legislation to address violence against women has been passed in most countries in Asia-Pacific, the most recent example being Bangladesh. However, implementation mechanisms still need to be put in place, and require special attention. The conference was organized to review the current state of legislation and the progress of actions towards the elimination of violence against women in the region.

"Reducing or even eliminating domestic violence is something that is extremely important to do because somehow family is a primary social group and has functions as a conveyor to a larger community to promote the creation of a civilization without violence;" Marzuki H. Alie, Speaker of the Parliament of Indonesia stated in his opening address.

Linda Amalia Sari Gumelar, State Minister of Women Empowerment and Child Protection of Indonesia in her keynote address called upon governments in Asia-Pacific to strengthen their networking activities to address this issue. "Each government should have the same commitment through a set of regulations which are responsive to gender issues and with regards to the strategic role of parliamentarians in legislation and budgeting, this forum would also recall government commitment," she pointed out.

The participants agreed that there is a need for concerted advocacy aimed at lawmakers, decision-makers, influential leaders and community groups to draw their attention to and increase their knowledge of their roles in preventing violence against women.

These key issues include domestic/family violence, rape, trafficking of women, violence in armed conflict, and violence against girls. The aims of advocacy efforts to eliminate violence against women are to obtain support of decision-makers to develop supportive legislation and policies and capacity for enforcing legislation, and to encourage parliamentarians to publicly speak in support of the elimination of gender-based violence.

In keeping with AusAID's Gender Equality Framework, the project will fall within the area of 'Equal participation of women in decision making and leadership including in fragile states and conflict situations', specifically addressing the following outcomes:

Political governance and civil society: Increased involvement of women in political leadership, decision making, peace building and democratic processes at all levels that reflects their needs, interests and rights; increased demand by civil society for equitable and accountable governance.

Law and justice: Promotion and protection of the human rights of women and girls in law and justice sector service delivery (for example. gender-based violence and elimination of discrimination).

AFPPD has placed special emphasis on gender issues in the year 2010. A Meeting of a Standing Committee of Male Parliamentarians on Prevention of Violence against Women and Girls will be held at the end of this year. Other programmes include capacity building training for women's empowerment and advocacy programmes among women parliamentarians.

Since its inception in 1981, the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development has focussed its activities on effective action to eliminate all traces of discrimination against women and to facilitate full and equal participation of women in all aspects of economic and social development, said Dr Pinit Kullavanijaya, Senator, Thailand and AFPPD Secretary General.

At the forefront of this is taking women's abilities, rights and needs into account at every stage of development planning so that women's health, security and opportunity can be protected allowing them to maximize their contribution to society, he added.

AFPPD recognizes that the impacts and causes of violence against women are multidimensional, crossing all sectors and population groups. "Therefore, the issue needs to be addressed using an integrated, multisectoral approach involving government, NGOs, communities, and individuals. Eliminating violence against women requires a huge commitment from all of the parties involved but it is essential for building a better future," Dr. Pinit said.

AFPPD has also established a Standing Committee on Women, chaired alternatively by Australia and New Zealand, to enhance the voice of women parliamentarians. The present chair is Senator Claire Moore, M.P. of Australia.

Under the support of the Standing Committee on Women, AFPPD has convened events on various issues related to gender, which have proved very effective in promoting awareness of gender-related issues among parliamentarians.

These efforts have resulted either in the drafting of new legislation or the review of existing ones, including those aimed at reducing gender disparities and addressing gender-based violence, in countries such as Cambodia, Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand, s. The next meeting will be in Bangkok on November 28 this year. Those interested in taking part please contact the AFPPD secretariat.