Speech by Roberta Clarke, Regional Director of UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and Representative in Thailand at the launch of the United Nations Multi-country Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific

On behalf of all of the UN Joint programme Partners for Prevention, I wish you a warm welcome to this launch of our report: ‘Why Do Some Men Use Violence Against Women and How Can We Prevent It?

This quantitative study undertaken in (9 sites in) 6 countries across Asia and the Pacific presents findings from a survey of over 10,000 men and 3,000 women on their experiences of violence against women. The study confirms that violence against women is a harsh reality for many and that the most dangerous place can be where we should expect security and love, the home.

Efforts to address violence against women and girls have focused on improving services and responses to violence – strengthening legislation and the criminal justice system overall – and improving access and quality of health, legal and social services. Such interventions must be strengthened and laws must be enforced. As important as this is, we must change culture by addressing the factors that enable men to assert power and control over women, without consequences – namely gender inequality and discrimination.

In this report, we get to hear men’s voices, we get insights into individual attitudes and broader social norms about manhood, both those that perpetuate violence as a means of domination of women as well as those that point us in the direction of change. This data is intended by the UN agencies to inform interventions related to social norms and behavior change and addressing the underlying causes of gender-based violence.

And drawing on this report, we hope that governments and non-governmental organisations, communities and individuals make the change towards zero tolerance for all forms of violence against women. But more particularly, we hope to engage the hearts and minds of more men and boys as partners for prevention as is one of the key strategies of the Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women Campaign.

Guided by long-standing international commitments to women’s human rights, peace and security, UN Women, UNFPA, UNV, UNDP and the rest of the UN family stand united in our common goal of ending violence against women. This concerted regional effort complements the many ongoing efforts in this area and adds to a global body of knowledge around men’s use and experiences of violence as a crucial entry point for prevention.

Thank you
Roberta Clarke
Regional Director
UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

Related link:

• Launch event: Why Do Some Men Use Violence Against Women and How Can We Prevent It?