Issue
June - July 2001

South-East Asian Parliamentarians Workshop on the
‘Elimination of Violence Against Women’

The Opening Session: From L. to R: Mr. Satish Mehra, Deputy Director of UNFPA Asia Pacific Division, New York - Dr. Ladawan Wongsriwong, Deputy Minister for Labour and Social Welfare - Dr. Boonton Dockthaisong, Deputy Speaker of the Senate of Thailand - Sen. Malinee Sukavejworakit, Vice-Chair Senate Committee on Public Health, Thai Senate and AFPPD’s Vice-Chair - Mr. Ghazi Farooq, Director of UNFPA/CST for South-East Asia

Violence against women in any of its numerous forms should be considered intolerable and therefore, socially unacceptable. Anyone who acts violently towards women or condones violence against women, should be deemed as insane and referred to a psychiatrist for mental analysis.

These were just a few of the sentiments expressed by parliamentarians during the recent ‘EVAW’ meeting. The workshop was organised by the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development, (AFPPD), Japan Trust Fund for Parliamentarians and UNFPA Technical Country Support Team for South-East Asia, and was held at the ‘Montien Riverside Hotel’ in Bangkok on the 19th to the 21st of June, 2001.

The topic of violence against women, generally perceived as a somewhat sensitive issue in many cultures, generated great interest amongst parliamentarians. The EVAW workshop was attended by over one hundred parliamentarians, officials and NGOs from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Japan, Korea, China, Mongolia, Indonesia and Vietnam.

The EVAW workshop
generated a lot of interest

VAW - Opening Session

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE – 3.5 MILLION WOMEN PERISH EACH YEAR

Ms. Ladawan Wongsriwong, Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, (Thailand), opened the Regional Workshop on the ‘Elimination of Violence Against Women.’ She said:

"When we talk about violence against women, our universal wish is to eliminate violence against women and abolish any action that physically, sexually or mentally causes suffering to women. This includes threats, intimidation and limitation of liberty, both in public and private life.

Violence is the cause of many social and health related problems and these problems are steadily increasing. At present, all over the world, it is estimated that 3.5 million women die each year. In Thailand, the problem of violence is rising. We found that the rate of women harmed by their husbands or lovers is over 20%. It has also been established that children who are exposed to, or become victims of violence at home, are likely to turn to drugs or crime in later life.

As we consider the factors that contribute to the problem of violence against women, it is apparent that social values and attitudes are much to blame. Men are regarded as being more powerful then women, and women are treated as sexual objects by men. This is evident when we consider what we see on television or read in magazines and newspapers. Most newspapers focus on presenting women in such a way as to sexually arouse, or portray them in a sexually seductive fashion. Furthermore, violence against women is also a result of family problems such as unfaithfulness amongst couples, addiction to gambling and alcohol consumption. Economic problems such as bankruptcy, lay off and high cost of living can also greatly enhance violence. In the meanwhile, the education curriculum does not give enough importance to sexual ethics, children’s rights and human rights. Consequently, violence against women is increasing at every level of society and has become the cause of divorce, abortion, sex trade, drug addiction and finally AIDS."

WOMEN'S QUALITY OF LIFE

"The government has formed a policy on family, children, youth, women and the elderly. It focuses on promoting a harmonious and close knit family environment. This environment is the first step that will enable us to reform the economy and build a shield against the social problems of today for family members of all ages. Another important direction is to promote the rights, role and potentiality of women. We must also promote people, community and local organisations such as temples, district administration organisations, and to participate in developing communities, take preventive action where necessary and find solutions in every phase. The government has approved this and ordered district administration organisations to allocate a budget for taking care of quality of life for both women and children on a family and community level. This is achieved by adequate maintenance, physical and mental rejuvenation, temporary boarding, the transference of people who are victims of acts of violence and the undertaking of legal actions.

Moreover, Thailand has also participated in following the agreements of pacts and other declarations to protect women from problems of violence as follows:

• Constitution of the Thai Kingdom.’.’.’ This aims to promote and protect women’s rights. It states that ‘people are equal by law and receive equal protection by law.’

It also states ‘children, youth and members in a family have a right to obtain protection from the state against violence and unfair treatment.

• Prevention and Elimination of Sexual Trade Act.’

• Protection and Elimination of the Women and Children Trade Act.’

Dr. Ladawan confirms that Thailand will follow all policies and agreements according to the pacts in order to succeed in the protection of women and the elimination of violence against women."

Indian women MPs interacted with women at grassroot level with a view to sharing their problems through a tele-conference on the 30th of June, 2000. The objective of the tele-conference, the first ever of its kind in the country, was to provide an opportunity for women to obtain information about their rights and politics and programmes of the government for their empowerment.

Inaugurating the conference, human resource development Minister, Mr. Murli Monohar Joshi said that the government was re-examining all laws concerning women in a bid to provide better safe-guards through legal provisions and introduce a new legislation on the prevention of domestic violence. The laws being amended included the ‘Indecent Representation of Women, (Prohibition), Act,’ 1986, the ‘Immoral Traffic, (Prevention), Act,’ 1956, (Prevention), Act, 1987, he said. The conference, using Satellite Based Interactive Communication, (SABICON), and based on a one-way video and two-way audio system, was hosted at the Indira Gandhi National University where the parliamentarians and experts were present. At the other end were twenty-seven districts from nine states including Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, where women at grassroot level participated.

Did you know

The World Health Organisation estimates that as many as 20 million pregnancies are terminated through unsafe abortions each year.

ISSUE OF VIOLENCE OFTEN JUST SWEPT UNDER THE CARPET  - DR. BOONTON DOCKTHAISONG

Prof. Dr. Boonton Dockthaisong, Second Vice-President of the Senate, (Thailand), presided over the opening session. He said that:

"Thai culture not only respects women, but also provides equal status and equal opportunities for women. The role of women has long been recognised as holding great significance in society and this fact was also apparent in days gone by. Thai history reveals the competence and courage of Thai women, even during war that was and is generally considered as a male dominated responsibility. Examples of this are brave women such as Queen Srisuriyothai and Lady Mo who fought fearlessly and ultimately sacrificed their own lives to serve their country."

INFRINGEMENT ON HUMAN RIGHTS

"The harsh reality is that many of the instances of mistreatment that women are forced to endure are rarely brought to the public’s attention. It is sad to say, but the majority of these cases are just swept under the carpet. This matter is a direct infringement on human rights.

The possibility of today’s women having the same opportunities and rights as men has greatly increased. The number of women assuming leading roles in society has risen and many women represent the pillars of strength behind the success of many of society’s male leaders. In Thailand, you will find women working in all fields, but this does not mean that we are free of problems concerning violence towards women and girls.

Violence not only physically and emotionally traumatises women and girls, but also profoundly effects the family as a whole.

 Violence is a consequence that has many contributing factors. You will find that violent outbursts directed towards women can be triggered by a woman disobeying her husband, answering back, not preparing food on time, failure to properly maintain the home or care for the children, questioning about money, disloyalty on the part of the husband, going somewhere without permission, refusing to have sex, etc. Men who rule over women in such a way, robbing them of their freedom and personal happiness are no longer treating them as partners, but as servants or slaves. We must ensure that any male responsible for violence against a woman is considered deviant from social norms and therefore ostracised or regarded as a social outcast.

TEMPLES CAN PROVIDE SHELTER

We must not only protect victims through law enforcement, but also provide understanding, compassion and support. Temples can become temporary shelters for women in need of a safe retreat and offer emotional, as well as spiritual, guidance. The mass media can use its influence to eliminate violence by not sensationalising violent cases against women, refraining to publish women’s photos and names and by censoring domestic violence in TV soaps. Parents should strive to create a harmonious family atmosphere. It is a parent’s duty to control all negative influences within the family and to help children grow to their full potential as respectable adults. This is not possible if violence is present in the home. Parliamentarians have special roles: we have been elected by our people and these same people look up to us as role models. It is essential that, not only is our personal behaviour exemplary, but we demonstrate how important strong family bonds are for the progression of society. Parliamentarians should carefully scrutinise all rules and regulations, and if any amendment or modification is required, then it must be dealt with accordingly. It is also our duty to ensure that all rules are correctly implemented."

POVERTY – PRESSING ISSUE

There are still 1.2 billion people worldwide living on less than a dollar a day, while twice that number live on less than two dollars per day. Seventy-four countries, with more than one-third of the world’s population, are not on track to halve poverty by 2015.

Ninety-three countries, with 62% of the world’s population, are not on course to reduce under-five mortality by two-thirds as pledged in September.

Similarly, eighty-three countries, with 70% of the world’s population, are unlikely to halve the proportion of their citizens lacking access to safe drinking water. ‘Nearly one billion people still need such access, ‘ the report says.

ONE OUT OF THREE WOMEN BEATEN  - MR. SATISH MEHRA

Mr. Satish Mehra, Deputy Director of UNFPA’s Asia-Pacific Division who came to Bangkok specially to address the workshop said during the opening session: He said that:

"It should be noted that violence against women occurs in all countries and in all classes of society. Globally, at least one woman in every three has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Regrettably, this is the very essence of domestic violence and more often than not, the abuser is a member of her own family. Because of the frequency of its occurrence, increasingly, gender-based violence is recognised as a major public health concern and a violation of human rights."

He said in order to assess the seriousness of the problem, parliamentarians must take into account, and duly note, the eye-opening facts:

"Violence against girls and women throughout the world causes more death and disability among women in the 15 to 44 age group than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and even war, according to the World Development Report of the World Bank.

Each year, two million girls and women are at risk from female genital mutilation, (FGM). The procedure, usually performed on young girls or adolescents approaching maturity, is typically conducted outside the medical system, without anesthesia and using unclean instruments.

Violence and discrimination increase women’s risk of HIV infection. Last year, it was estimated that 2.2 million women were among the newly reported infected cases caused by the fear of violence that prevents women from negotiating condom use with their partners. Young girls, in some cities, are being infected with HIV at five to six times the rate of young men in the same age group. This is because young girls are not empowered to say "NO" and because they are poor, they are often unable to make decisions about themselves and their lives.

There are documented cases of young refugee women and girls being forced into commercial prostitution or other forms of sexual servitude. They resort to prostitution in order to provide food and necessities for themselves and their families.

There are also forms of violence that seem to be encouraged by the modern world and with the improvement of technology. Globalisation has brought an enormous increase in trafficking for sexual purposes. The UN programme responsible for conducting studies concerning this estimates that among organised crime, trafficking for sexual purposes is second in scale only to drugs. On another level, the technologies for detecting the sex of a foetus have resulted in a wave of sex-selective abortions."

UNFPA HAS AN UNEQUIVOCAL POSITION

"UNFPA has taken initiative at all levels; local, national and international, to eliminate violence against women. At the international level, the International Conference on Population and Development, 1994, and the Fourth World Conference on Women, 1995, made gender-based violence a key part of the global consensus on the right to reproductive health and the empowerment and equality of women. In the years since the conferences, these rights have been firmly welded into the international framework of human rights.

UNFPA has an unequivocal position concerning the need to eradicate violence against women. UNFPA has pledged to help end gender-based violence. It is part of our commitment to saving women’s lives through better reproductive health. It is at the top of our agenda. In conclusion, let me say that parliamentarians have a very critical role to play. We have benefited from a long partnership with parliamentarians around the world and we hope to continue and strengthen this partnership in this region. We applaud your advocacy and your commitment to protect the human rights of women and girls, and to promote gender equality. We stand ready to work with parliamentarians, especially in providing technical assistance from UNFPA Country Support Team for your initiatives. We commend your efforts in bringing about legal and policy reforms in your countries in order to protect the rights and promote the well-being of all people by eliminating gender discrimination. Let us resolve to continue to work together, to break the silence and make a real and positive change in the elimination of violence against women."

DISCUSSION ALONE IS INSUFFICIENT, WE MUST TAKE ACTION
- SEN. DR. MALINEE SUKAVEJWORAKIT

Sen. Dr. Malinee Sukavejworakit, Vice-Chair of the Senate Committee on Public Health, (Thailand), and Vice-Chair of AFPPD said in her welcoming address that the large number of parliamentarians and participants that attended the workshop indeed indicated the gravity of the issue. She went on to say:

"Violence against women is not restricted to an individual culture or society and it is just as widespread in developed countries as it is in developing countries. Violence is an issue that is difficult to define and it is one that can not be discussed in generic terms as it has many faces and can take on many forms. It is, however, imperative that all of us recognise the fact that any kind of violence is despicable and is, therefore, an act that any sane mind would condemn.

The aim of this workshop is to make parliamentarians aware of the seriousness of this problem and try to find ways to ameliorate the situation. Should a legislative review be undertaken or is implementation of a completely new legislation system necessary? Should we consider men who beat women as mentally ill and provide them with psychiatric care? The sensationalising of violence against women occurs frequently in the media, so should media be held responsible for increasing violent tendencies within our societies?

Many questions such as these need to be raised and debated in depth at this workshop. We must not only discuss violence against women, but also take action. By this I mean we must draw upon new ideas and develop initiatives to overcome this problem and we must then ensure correct implementation of these ideas and initiatives."

Dr. Malinee urged the many male parliamentarians present to come forward and suggest innovative but practical ways to help prevent violence against women. She asked them to use their influence as parliamentarians and help alter society’s often prejudiced attitude towards women.

She also thanked the UN Population Fund and the Japan Trust Fund for Parliamentarians for supporting the workshop and also UNFPA Country Technical Support Team who provided technical support.

Dr. Prasop Rattanakorn, (former Secretary General for AFPPD), who was present at the opening and who, even at eighty, is still young enough to support the parliamentarian movement, was also recognised. He is pictured here with Dr. Sheila Mcrae, UNFPA, (centre right), Dr. Wiwat Rojanapithayakorn, UNAIDS, (left) and H.E. Kim Kook - Chin, Korean Ambassador, (right).

World Population Day - 11th of July

Mrs. Thoraya Obaid, Executive Director of UNFPA - "Life of Dignity for Everyone is our Challenge"

The great challenge of the 21st century is to enable everyone to live a life of dignity……..

The most important steps are the most basic. Human security and well-being start with education and health care for all. These are human rights, but they also empower women and men. They are the basic equipment to exercise responsibility in the modern world.

The goals of universal education and health care are agreed. They are within reach. Meeting them would cost a fraction of today’s expenditure on less important things – arms for example. Universal education and health care would also have multiple benefits, especially for women, who lag behind in both areas.

Reproductive rights are part of the right to health. Better reproductive health is important for men, but it is vital for women: one woman every minute dies of causes related to pregnancy, and four women every minute catch the infection that leads to HIV/AIDS. Reproductive health is integrally linked to sustainable development. Women who can choose have smaller families: and that means slower population growth.

This World Population Day we must accept our responsibilities to ourselves and to each other. We must find the balance that will renew our world and enable all of its people to meet their aspirations.

EVAW - Session 1

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: ISSUES AND CONCERNS IN EAST AND SOUTH-EAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC -
DR. GHAZI FAROOQ

Dr. Ghazi Farooq, Director of UNFPA Country Technical Services Team for East and South-East Asia, presented the keynote paper in the workshop entitled "Violence Against Women: Issues and Concerns in East and South-East Asia". The report situated Violence Against Women, (VAW), in the region in terms of its various forms, (domestic, rape, prostitution and trafficking, and armed conflict exploitation), and the magnitude of its occurrence based on published statistics. He underscored the multiple causes of VAW, saying:

"There is no single factor to account for violence perpetrated against women. Increasingly, studies have focused on the inter-relatedness of various determinants that improved understanding of the problem within different cultural contexts. Several complex and interconnected institutionalised social and cultural factors have kept women particularly vulnerable to violence: all of them manifestations of historically unequal power relations between men and women. Factors contributing to these unequal power relations include: socio-economic forces, the family institution where power relations are enforced, fear of and control over female sexuality, belief in the inherent superiority of males, and legislation and cultural sanctions that have traditionally denied women and children their independent legal and social status."

Consequences of VAW

Dr. Farooq then spelled out the consequences of VAW. They include: denial of fundamental human rights, the negative impact on the reproductive health status of the victims, the reinforcement of the behaviour in male children who witness the occurrence at home and societal costs on health care and productivity of women.

Judicial reforms, he said, should focus on three critical areas, namely:

¨Changing laws that keep women trapped in abusive relationships.

¨Removing barriers to prosecution.

¨Eliminating aspects of the law that are prejudicial to

Dr. Farooq cited legal initiatives taken in the participating countries in the region as well as institutional mechanisms established to provide a supportive environment to the victims. The latter include establishment of women’s police desks, regulations governing police investigations to assure impartial and expeditious dispensation of cases, victim protection, and one-stop crises centres.

NGOs Provide Services

A cross country tabulation on the response to domestic violence through specific laws, national action plan, and support services indicated that protection and support services are being provided in countries mainly by NGOs. However, he noted the lag in terms of promulgation of specific domestic violence laws to provide a means of legal redress for the victims. The issues and concerns emerging from the analysis include:

¨Obstacles to adequate legal response and enforcement.

• Inability to assess and update the responsiveness of existing legal systems to the various forms of violence

	Lack of regular dialogues among policy-makers and interest groups for appropriate legislation to eliminate VAW in its multiple forms.
	Inadequate financial resources and political will and commitment to eliminate VAW.
	Lack of sex-disaggregated statistics to identify the gendered nature of violence.
	Lack of regional forum to address VAW on a systematic basis and to monitor progress in implementation and enforcement.
	Inability to report incidence of abuse by victims themselves.

Subsequently, he elaborated on the role of parliamentarians in the elimination of VAW. His suggestion for parliamentarians, among other things, were to:

	Identify and eliminate legal and discriminatory barriers to gender equality through legislation.
	Initiate and promote a democratic system for the recognition of these rights.
	Review current initiatives and draw a well-defined and substantive national legislative policy.
	Commit own national financial resources to combat the problem.

He urged parliamentarians to undertake actions under any of the following: penal and criminal law provisions, national action plan, protection services, support services, advocacy and research.

In closing, Dr. Farooq said that ‘VAW’ is a social, economic and human rights issue – and thus a national responsibility. Only when this fact is recognised by governments will they be able to take on the responsibility to eliminate VAW as part of the priority agenda for national development."

PARLIAMENTARIANS CAN PLAY A PIVOTAL ROLE
- MS TALAT JAFRI

Ms. Talat Jafri, Gender, Population and Development Specialist, UNIFEM, presented a thought-provoking paper on ‘Legislative Responses to Violence Against Women.’ She gave attention to highlighting the issues and priorities saying that:

"The ‘World Conference on Human Rights,’ (1993), Vienna, was the first international conference to address all dimensions of human rights, including the rights of women and children. It reaffirmed that the human rights of women and the girl child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights and stressed the need to end all forms of discrimination and violence against women. It also specifically called for preventive actions to end VAW, rehabilitation of victims, raising public awareness on VAW and conducting research on the issues, in particular FGM, trafficking in women and children, sexual violence and HIV/AIDS related discrimination.

GLOBALISATION - ONE CULPRIT

Violence against women and trafficking in women and girls were also among the priorities for the ESCAP region identified by the Expert Group Meeting, (EGM), to strategize on the regional implementation of the outcome document of the Global Review of the Beijing PFA, December 2000, Bangkok. The meeting noted that many issues were inter-linked and thus, not easily categorised under one heading. Thus negative economic impact of globalisation which led to increased rural-urban migration, also increased women’s vulnerability to traffickers operating in international networks. ICT applications, especially the Internet, were being used for trafficking. A close linkage could also be found between HIV/AIDS, trafficking and growing child prostitution.

VAW impacts women’s health, whether the damage is psychological, physical or, in the extreme scenario, death. Many forms of VAW have serious, sometimes fatal consequences in regards to reproductive health, whether VAW occurs within the family such as domestic violence or within the community in general such as trafficking and forced prostitution. Policies of the States, e.g. RH policies, may also contribute to VAW either directly or through failure to fulfill the States responsibility in protecting women’s rights.

Domestic violence takes on many forms, starting from pre-birth to abuse and murder of the elderly, especially widows. It includes sex-selective abortions. The Digest reports that an official survey in China revealed that, with its one-child policy, 12% of all female embryos were aborted or otherwise unaccounted for.

Incest has been made a criminal offence in most countries but precisely because incest is taboo, it is one of the most secret forms of violence.

Marital rape and sexual abuse by husbands or intimate partners are not recognised as crimes by most countries, though some countries have begun to legislate against marital rape.

Cultural practices which may lead to violence and may be found in Asia and the Pacific include forced prostitution.

NGO RESPONSES

NGOs have been at the forefront in lobbying and policy development on migration and trafficking. NGOs have also set up shelters specially geared to trafficked women. They have also undertaken awareness creation and commitment to opposing trafficking.

PROGRAMMATIC RESPONSES TO VAW IN POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT

UNFPA has identified entry points in population and development programmes including reproductive health through which VAW may be addressed

PARLIAMENTARIANS ROLE

‘As parliamentarians, we are committed to removing legal, social and cultural barriers that prevent women from fully participating in society, including policy-making. As a matter of national and international priority, we will support all efforts for legislation, policy-making, implementation and resource allocation to empower women, to achieve greater equality and equity, and to prevent violence against women, including harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, (FGM).’

The Hague Declaration of Parliamentarians on Review of ICPD, February 1999, quoted above acknowledges the unique role, expertise and responsibilities of parliamentarians in creating the enabling environment that is required to prevent VAW. The strategic areas for action identified by parliamentarians for their own action are: legislation, policy-making, implementation and resource allocation.

Advocacy by Parliamentarians: the EGM noted that resistance by governments to implement their human rights commitments to national, international instruments and conventions, ‘constitutes a major problem in the region.’ VAW is an area where women’s NGOs have taken the lead and governments have lagged behind. Parliamentarians have a major advocacy role and responsibility in overcoming this resistance and creating or strengthening national political will at all levels since that is a prerequisite to eradicating VAW.: the EGM noted that resistance by governments to implement their human rights commitments to national, international instruments and conventions, ‘constitutes a major problem in the region.’ VAW is an area where women’s NGOs have taken the lead and governments have lagged behind. Parliamentarians have a major advocacy role and responsibility in overcoming this resistance and creating or strengthening national political will at all levels since that is a prerequisite to eradicating VAW.: the EGM noted that resistance by governments to implement their human rights commitments to national, international instruments and conventions, ‘constitutes a major problem in the region.’ VAW is an area where women’s NGOs have taken the lead and governments have lagged behind. Parliamentarians have a major advocacy role and responsibility in overcoming this resistance and creating or strengthening national political will at all levels since that is a prerequisite to eradicating VAW.

The key elements in eradicating VAW areThe key elements in eradicating VAW are:

EVAW - Session 2

ADVOCACY FOR LEGISLATION ON VAW - SESSION 2

THE MAJORITY OF MALE LEGISLATORS DO NOT CONSIDER VAW IMPORTANT

If legislative advocacy is carried out systematically over a period of time, it produces positive results. One-time advocacy activity is rarely effective and may not always yield the expected results. For effective advocacy, a variety of methods and techniques should be used.

Key lessons learned in the region are:

The effectiveness of advocacy efforts is directly related to the seniority of the VAW advocate, among others. There is limited understanding of, and lack of skills, in effective legislative advocacy techniques among advocacy groups, women’s organisations, civil society and others. Coalition building among VAW advocates and networking is the backbone of advocacy efforts. Legislative advocacy messages and arguments need to be unbiased, fact based and convincing.

GENERAL DISCUSSION

Experiences in different countries of the region were exchanged. Recurring problems were culture, perceptions and attitudes. In efforts to change the perceptions and attitudes towards the laws on VAW, especially in Asian countries, it was determined that confusion, culture, customs and traditional paternalism can be a barrier in the fight to eliminate VAW. Many of the victims do not bring charges, because they think any violent act perpetrated at the home is a family affair rather than a legal matter. Pressure to keep quiet as a ‘good woman’ and hesitation in order to protect the privacy of the victim is common. Interpretation by law enforcers can also be problematic. Yet, advocacy activities should not give up when one is faced these kinds of problems; it is possible to overcome all of these.

EVAW - Session 3

- MS. TRINIDAD OSTERIA AND MR. FRANCISCO ROQUE

Ms. Trinidad Osteria, Advisor for Gender Population and Development, UNFPA/CST for South-East Asia and Mr. Francisco Roque, Advisor for Adolescent Reproductive Health and Education, jointly presented a paper focusing on the assessment of the adequacy of VAW-related laws in the light of emerging situations in participating countries and made recommendations for addressing the unmet needs.

Did you know

* Hospital based studies suggest that as much as 54% of all maternal deaths in Ethiopia, 28% in Zimbabwe and 21% in Tanzania are abortion-related.

* In some cities in Latin America, more than half of all maternal deaths are due to unsafe abortions.

Group Discussions and Statements of Commitment

FOUR ISSUES DELIBERATED

The parliamentarians were divided into four groups, (according to their preference of subject matter and with ten to twenty persons per group), in order to discuss methods for preventing VAW in four areas. These areas were:

	Domestic violence.
	Trafficking of women and forced prostitution.
	Sexual assault including rape.
	Sexual harassment in the workplace and educational institutions and sexual harassment and sexual assault in institutions, (detention centres, mental institutions, prisons and refugee camps).

 The questions raised and dealt with were:

	What are the specific regional and national legal, and other, measures required to deal with this specific form of violence? * What are the specific areas where you as parliamentarians can play an important role?
	What type of advocacy is required to support the development of appropriate legal and other measures to effectively address VAW and to mobilise national community support?
	How can parliamentarians support mechanisms for accurate reporting, collection of reliable data and programme research?
	What can parliamentarians do to ensure adequate budgetary allocations for Violence Against Women Programmes?

COUNTRY COMMITMENTS

 The most unique part of the meeting, was in fact the conclusion of the workshop with the parliamentarians’ commitments on an individual basis and collectively as a nation. The majority said that they would discuss the issue of VAW with fellow parliamentarians and government departments in order to raise the issue in the media and lobby for better funding for EVAW. It was also decided to review and reinforce legislation, enhance its implementation and ensure that it is correctly supervised, as well as enhance advocacy and promote networking with parliamentarians and NGOs. It was also mentioned that a ‘Call Attention Motion’ would be raised in parliament on this issue.

Some major commitments made were:

Phillipines: PLCPD have two draft legislatures which will be introduced in the next parliamentary session. These are an Anti-Domestic Violence Act and Anti-Trafficking in Phillipino Women and Minors Act.

Korea: Committed to employ more female police officers and to form a ‘Bureau of VAW’ at national and provincial police stations.

Vietnam: They will prepare and introduce a law on prostitution prevention by the end of this year.

Asian Forum announced that it has small funds available for the National Follow-up.

NATIONAL FOLLOW-UP STARTED

Women parliamentarians from Malaysia and Thailand did not waste much time as on their return to parliament, they started working on the issues of VAW.

Women Malaysian parliamentarians met with the Minister of Women’s Affairs and briefed her about the Bangkok parliamentarians workshop and discussed the mobilisation of other parliamentarians and NGOs. A national seminar has also been proposed.

A press conference was held on the 3rd of July by the President of the Malaysian AFPPD, Hon. Dato Zainal Abidin Zin, together with Hon. Dato Napsiah Binti Omar, Hon. Sen. Jaya Partiban and Ms. Rahmah Osman, where the Plan of Action for the Elimination of Violence Against Women workshop was distributed. This Plan of Action will be handed over officially to the Minister of Women’s Development and Family when she officiates the closing of the Forum on HIV/AIDS, Reproductive Health and Rights and Elimination of Violence Against Women, which will be organised by them for all lady MPs / State Assemblies of Malaysia on the 19th of August, 2001, at the Sheraton Subang, Selangor.

Thailand Senator, Dr. Malinee Sukavejworakit, Vice-Chair of the Senate Committee on Public Health and Ms. Maleerat Kaewka , Chair of the Women’s Committee, met fellow parliamentarians and briefed them about the ‘Call of Action.’ A one-day follow-up meeting has been planned.

PNG parliamentarian, Lady Carol Kidu, informed that she had started a ‘Consultation’ with other members of parliament and NGOs.

L. to R: Ms. Rahmah Osman, Executive Director for AFPPD, Malaysia - Hon. Dato Zainal Abidin Zin, Minister and President of AFPPD Malaysia - Hon. Dato Napsiah Binti Omar, MP - Hon. Sen. Jaya Partiban.

President Vladimir Voronin has refused to institute a new law legalising abortions, sending the law ‘on reproductive health and family planning’ back to the Communist-dominated parliament for re-examination, with the suggestion that it be re-worded.

In his comments on the law, he described a woman’s right to end a pregnancy as ‘untimely.’ The president also asked his party members to learn from the experience of other countries in informing and educating the public on reproductive health issues and to update their knowledge about family planning.

The law was passed in May, despite fierce protests from the Orthodox church and the Christian Democratic opposition.

EVAW - Closing Session and Women in Government

PARLIAMENTARIANS PLEDGE TO FOLLOW-UP

Mr. Satish Mehra, Director Asia – Pacific Division, UNFPA, looked back onto a very fruitful and productive workshop, with all countries learning from each other, even though every country is at a different stage of development.

Mr. Ghazi Farooq, Director UNFPA/CST, said he was most impressed with the level of female and male parliamentarians present and reiterated that – unlike usual proceedings – this time, the Plan of Action was not prepared beforehand. He is convinced that the parliamentarians are the national leaders of the movement against VAW. said he was most impressed with the level of female and male parliamentarians present and reiterated that – unlike usual proceedings – this time, the Plan of Action was not prepared beforehand. He is convinced that the parliamentarians are the national leaders of the movement against VAW. said he was most impressed with the level of female and male parliamentarians present and reiterated that – unlike usual proceedings – this time, the Plan of Action was not prepared beforehand. He is convinced that the parliamentarians are the national leaders of the movement against VAW.

In her closing address, Dr. Raj Karim, Regional Director, IPPF, thanked AFPPD and UNFPA for the honour to give this closing address: " this reflects the partnership forged between AFPPD – representing the parliamentarians – UNFPA representing mainly governments – and IPPF – representing mainly NGOs."

Dr. Karim said that only listening to women and girls will tell us of the immense mental, physical, emotional and psychological torture that violence brings to them and the long-term effects it has on them and their families.

Mr Shiv Khare, Executive Director, AFPPD, thanked all those who contributed to making the workshop a useful exercise.

Sound results are anticipated as the parliamentarians pledged to follow-up on the ‘Plan of Action.’

L. to R: Dr. Raj Karim, IPPF - Mr. Shiv Khare, Executive Director, AFPPD.

WOMEN IN GOVERNMENT

Women around the world represent only about 13.7% of parliaments worldwide and 14% of heads of state, according to data collected by the Inter-Parliamentary Union. In the Asia-Pacific, women account for about 14.9% of national legislatures.

This widespread abnormality is increasingly being addressed and regarded as incompatible with the principle of good governance. Female representation within parliament worldwide has an annual increase rate of 6% is: if this continues, gender balance in government would be reached sometime in the year of 2075.

Women have a greater sense of social issues and the well-being and welfare of their communities. They have different priorities and are prepared to dedicate time to issues that some men find trivial, such as family issues, VAW and children.

The necessity of increasing the number of women in government is obvious and we, (women inside and outside of politics and men), must work together in order to achieve this.

EVAW - Plan of Action

CALLS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF LAWS

Parliamentarians Must Act as Agents of Change and Push EVAW

The Intercountry workshop on Parliamentary Advocacy for the Elimination of Violence Against Women from 14 countries in East and South-East Asia and the Pacific held in Bangkok on 19 to 21 June, 2001, reaffirms the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development — Programme of Action and the Beijing Platform for Action, the principles and recommendations. The workshop calls on all parliamentarians in the region to:

* Recognize that the elimination of violence against women is fundamental to the achievement of women’s human rights and until that is addressed, sustainable and equitable national and regional development cannot occur.

* Recognize that sexual abuse and violence against women causes, and maintains, the psychological and physical disempowerment of women; and accept that we, as Parliamentarians, have a role to be agents for change within our societies, even though differences may exist between customary, religious and national laws. We must act to harmonise any differences that are inconsistent with the universal principles of human rights.

In view of the above:

We are committed to removing legal, social and cultural barriers that prevent women from fully participating in society.

As a matter of international, regional and national priority, we will support all efforts for legislation, policy-making, and resource allocation to empower women, to achieve greater equality and equity and to prevent violence against women.

Therefore, we urge that Parliamentarians work at all levels to eliminate violence against women in our families, our communities, our nations and our region. Parliamentarians must ensure that the policies of their own parties support the elimination of violence against women and that their parliamentary colleagues support these policies. As well, Parliamentarians must work within the Parliament and use all the Parliamentary process to eliminate violence against women.

Public awareness

Effective legislation

• Parliamentarians must advocate for specific seperate legislation to deal with all forms of violence against women.
• This must begin with a review of all existing laws, with a country’s laws measured against international standards and recommendations in all areas, where they exist, including the following:

  Domestic violence. Sexual assault, including rape and child sexual abuse. Sexual harassment. Treatment of refugees. Trafficking of women or children. Treatment during armed conflict. Treatment within institutions, (e.g., mental institutions, detention centres and prisons). Consultations with community organizations and non-governmental organizations (in particular, women’s organizations) must occur throughout the process of identification of inadequacy in current laws to the development of new laws. Wherever possible, non-governmental organizations should be involved in the parliamentary process.

Effective enforcement of the law

• Primary prevention by the empowerment of women, (including literacy, income generation and poverty alleviation), to enhance the role and status of women in their community.
• Parliamentarians must actively support community education and awareness - raising of the law through:

PARLIAMENTARIANS STATEMENT AT UNGASS ON HIV/AIDS

New York – UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, held on the 25th – 27th of June, 2001, received attention worldwide and was attended by several thousand participants, including governments, NGOs and others. A large number of activities were organised in order to focus on ‘special issues.’ Regional parliamentarian groups on population and development such as AFPPD, FAAPPD, IAPG and IEPFPD issued a joint parliamentarians statement, urging to include the role of parliamentarians in the ‘Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS.’ The statement said that parliamentarians can play an important role not only in advocacy and monitoring, but also in mobilisation from a national to global level.

AFPPD PARTICIPATION

Mr. Jon Ungphakorn, Senator and President of an AIDS prevention group, ‘ACCESS,’ in Thailand, represented AFPPD. He was invited to participate in several discussion groups.

Mr. Moustapha Ka, President of FAAPPD, Mr. Joseph Atiku

Executive Director of FAAPPD, and several parliamentarians from IEPFPD and IAPG were also present.

In additon, IAPG coordinated parliamentarians’ efforts at the UNGASS on HIV/AIDS.

IEPFPD organised a panel discussion, along with UNFPA and IPPF, on HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa that was held in Brussels during the LDC International Conference.

AFPPD, along with IMPO, organised the first South Asian Parliamentarians Meeting on HIV/AIDS in Nepal.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARIAN’S VISIT TO BURKINA FASO AND MALI

On the 15th July, 2001, a delegation composed of six parliamentarians from six European countries arrived in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on the first leg of a ten-day study tour to Burkina Faso and Mali. This second study tour organised by the Inter-European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development, with the assistance of IPPF European Network and Africa Region, will look at projects dealing with HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa, young people and the education and training of young girls. Also on the programme are exchanges with parliamentarians from Burkina Faso and Mali, meetings with government officials, UN agencies and respective ambassadors.

CALL TO THE VATICAN TO END SEXUAL VIOLENCE AGAINST NUNS

The Executive Committee of the IEPFPD met on the 9th of July, 2001 in Brussels at IPPF EN offices, Marjatta Vehkaoja, MP, (Chair), Elena Poptodorova, MP, (Vice-Chair), Ulla Sandbaek, MP and Ruth Genner, MP, were present as well as Lyn Thomas of IPPF EN, Erik Palstra of UNFPA and Neil Datta for the IEPFPD Secretariat. At this meeting, the Executive Committee took note of the declaration denouncing the reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy by President Bush which has received the support of over 170 parliamentarians around Europe.

TURKEY BECOMES AN IEPFPD MEMBER

Moreover, the Executive Committee decided to recommend full membership in the IEPFPD of the ‘Parliamentary Group on Population and Development of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey’ and sign up the Call to Accountability of the role of the Vatican to end sexual violence against catholic nuns by priests. It also decided to confirm its choice of Moscow as the location of its next council meeting in December, 2001, and to seek Observer Status in the EuroNGOs network.

MR. SHIN SAKURAI AND OTHER POPULATION ADVOCATES ELECTED IN JAPAN

Tokyo – Mr. Shin Sakurai, Former Chairman of AFPPD, and Mrs. Kayoko Shimizu, have both been elected as members of the House of Counsellors, (Upper House). – Mr. Shin Sakurai, Former Chairman of AFPPD, and Mrs. Kayoko Shimizu, have both been elected as members of the House of Counsellors, (Upper House). – Mr. Shin Sakurai, Former Chairman of AFPPD, and Mrs. Kayoko Shimizu, have both been elected as members of the House of Counsellors, (Upper House).

Twelve other members of the Japan Parliamentarians Federation on Population and Development, (JPFP), have also been elected to the Upper House.

• Belgian and African parliamentarians recently met in Belgium. The African Parliamentarians were headed by Mr. Moustapha Ka, President of FAAPPD.
• The Irish All Party Parliamentarian Group on Population and Development was recently formed under the chairmanship of Senator Mary Henry.