Press release: ASEAN Member States issue guidelines for coordinated response to violence against women and girls

Vientiane, 22 August 2024 - In a significant stride towards addressing violence against women and girls (VAWG), in Southeast Asia, the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) launched the “ASEAN Guidelines for Developing National Standard Operating Procedures for a Coordinated Response to Violence against Women and Girls.”

Taking place in Vientiane, Lao PDR, during the ASEAN Women Leaders’ Summit 2024, the launch marks a historic moment in ASEAN’s commitment to combating VAWG.

Violence against women and girls is a grave violation of human rights, rooted in deeply entrenched gender biases, inequality, and harmful practices. The repercussions of such violence extend beyond individual survivors, impacting their health, education, income, and opportunities. It harms family, communities, and entire societies, hindering social and economic development and obstructing the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Addressing VAWG requires urgent and coordinated action. ASEAN Member States have demonstrated a firm commitment to this issue, recognizing the necessity of coordinated responses,” said H.E. Ekkaphab Phanthavong, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. “The launch of this regional guidelines is a crucial step forward in ASEAN’s work to end all forms of violence against women and girls as a regional priority by ensuring a coordinated standard operating procedure, we are taking a decisive and collective action. towards a safer and more equitable future for all.”

“Through the implementation of these guidelines, ASEAN strengthens rights-based, gender-responsive, and inclusive approaches in responding to violence against women and girls which are necessary to raise performance standards for handling of VAWG cases, especially for women and children in multiple risks and vulnerabilities, including persons with disabilities said H.E. Dr. Ratchada Jayagupta, Representative of Thailand to the ACWC.

Christine Arab, UN Women Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, remarked, “This initiative by ASEAN is crucial to ensure a whole-of-community and survivor-centred approach for addressing violence against women and girls. Reflecting the region’s commitment to gender equality and the protection of women’s rights, this initiative will move us closer to achieving the SDGs. UN Women is a proud partner in supporting the development of the guidelines and their implementation.”

H.E. Sujiro Seam, EU Ambassador to ASEAN, said “The European Union stands in solidarity with ASEAN in combating violence against women and girls as well as empowering women and girls across the region. These ASEAN Guidelines is a key step in our joint efforts to ensure that survivors can receive comprehensive support they need through effective coordinated responses.”

The Guidelines are designed to be an essential resource for policymakers, practitioners, and frontline service providers. It provides a comprehensive framework for nationally coordinated SOPs and performance standards, ensuring that responses to VAWG are both gender-sensitive and survivor-centered. They emphasise the need for a coordinated response across multiple sectors, including health, police, justice, and social services.

By advocating for intersectoral collaboration and alignment, the guidelines ensure that responses to VAWG are unified and focused on the well-being of survivors. This effort is guided by the ASEAN’s commitments under the Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (ASEAN RPA on EVAW) and ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence Against Children (ASEAN RPA on EVAC).

The development of the Guidelines was led and provided technical contributions by the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC), the ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW), with the support from the ASEAN Secretariat, and in collaboration with the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) and ASEAN Member States, funded by European Union.

The preparation of the guidelines was supported through the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative to eliminate violence against women and girls, within the programme “Safe and Fair: Realizing women migrant workers’ rights and opportunities in the ASEAN region” (Safe and Fair). The roll-out of the guidelines will be further supported by the EU-funded “PROTECT” project implemented by ILO, UN Women, UNICEF and UNODC.

Check the ASEAN Guidelines for Developing National Standard Operating Procedures for a Coordinated Response to Violence against Women and Girls here.