Overview
Women make up slightly over half the population in ASEAN and significant progress has been made for women and girls in the region especially on access to education, participation in the labour force, increased quality or reproductive health and widened space to express their voices and exercise their agencies . However, numerous challenges impeding the realization of full potentials of women and girls remain.
Adolescent girls and young women in the region continue to face challenges such as different types of violence and discrimination including child, early and forced marriage (CEFM), limited access to support such as reproductive health education and services, and access to opportunities. As women enter the work force, most of them are found in the informal sector with minimal access to social protection . An increasing number of women work in the garments and textile industry, as well as tourism and creative industries, which tends to reinforce gender stereotypes . In both formal and informal sectors, women earn less than their male counterparts, and those in the corporate sector have limited opportunities to break the glass ceiling and occupy senior management positions. Across the formal and informal sectors, and the urban and rural continuum, women in the region continue to fight violence and discrimination, to advocate for the recognisation, redistribution and remuneration for unpaid care and domestic work, and realise their rights towards gender equality.
The young population in the region age 18 and below is increasingly engaged in the realisation of their human rights amidst a number of existing and emerging threats. Across the region, children’s access to the internet creates opportunities but also raises concerns regarding online safety, including exploitation and abuse as well as breaches of personal privacy. Children are increasingly affected by the climate crisis, which exacerbates existing vulnerabilities and disparities. Voluntary and forced migration also significantly impacted children and their families. And the incidence of different forms of violence continue to negatively affect children in the region at the detriment of their potential contributions to ASEAN Community Building.
- ASEAN Statistical Yearbook 2018
- ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint 2025 (2016)
- Regional Study on Informal Employment Statistics to Support Decent Work Promotion in ASEAN (2019)
- Projected Gender Impact of The ASEAN Economic Community (2016)
- Ending Violance Against Children in ASEAN Member States: Mid-term Review of Priority Areas under the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violance Against Children 2016-2020
Priority Areas of Cooperation
The promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are consistent priorities of ASEAN. In achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, ASEAN upholds the rights and agency of women and children as agents of transformative change in society. Moreover, ASEAN recognises the intersectionality and diversity of all women and children in various settings. By doing so, ASEAN is in a unique position to leverage regional cooperation to advocate policies and programmes both at the national and regional levels that effectively engages women and men, and girls and boys, in promoting gender equality. High-level political commitment has been afforded by the ASEAN Leaders in advancing the rights and welfare of women and children. In particular, all ASEAN Member States have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
ASEAN has adopted political declarations and implemented regional action plans on advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. ASEAN commitments are also complemented by action researches, policy dialogues, and capacity building initiatives. All of which serves to inform the development and implementation of dedicated national laws, policies and programmes that would ensure gender-responsiveness and the best interest of children.
Generation of data and development of evidence-based analyses are conducted through the Mid-term Review of the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action (RPA) on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Violence Against Children.
ASEAN also supports the development of comprehensive and strategic regional frameworks on mainstream gender perspectives across all the three ASEAN Community pillars, child online protection, and children in the context of migration; as well as the implementation of multi-year programmes and platforms such as on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, and addressing the needs of trafficked women and children.
ASEAN’s strategic policy guidance on promoting gender equality and realising the rights of women and children has been able to steer regional development cooperation towards funding initiatives that raise the profile of the rights of women and children. ASEAN’s regional mechanisms also provide opportunities for all women and children in the region to be engaged and meaningfully participate in the realisation of their human rights.
Major Sectoral Bodies/Committees
In 1975, ASEAN began to formalise its regional cooperation on women’s issues by convening the ASEAN Women Leaders’ Conference. A year later, the ASEAN Sub-Committee on Women (ASW) was founded and was later renamed the ASEAN Women’s Programme (AWP) in 1981. In 2001, ASEAN cooperation on women’s issues was restructured and officially coordinated by the ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW).
The ACW is mandated to oversee and coordinate ASEAN’s cooperation on promoting gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. Its programmatic work began with the implementation of the Work Plan for Women’s Advancement and Gender Equality (2005-2010), which is based upon the 1988 Declaration on the Advancement of Women in ASEAN. This was succeeded by the Work Plan to Operationalize the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (2006-2010).
The ACW comprises senior officials representing the national women’s machineries and ministries in-charge of the empowerment of women and girls. The ACW supports and reports to the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Women (AMMW) who sets the strategic policy direction on ASEAN’s regional cooperation on gender equality and women’s empowerment.
The ACW is implementing its work plan for 2016-2020 which focuses on (six) priority areas, namely:
- promotion of women‘s leadership;
- non-gender stereotyping and social norms change;
- gender mainstreaming across the three pillars of ASEAN;
- elimination of violence against women;
- empowerment of women; and
- protection and empowerment of women in vulnerable situations.
The ACW also works in close partnership with other ASEAN Bodies and the ASEAN Confederation on Women’s Organizations (ACWO).
Regional mechanisms
ACW Plus Three is an annual meeting of the ACW with the Plus Three Countries namely China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, and serves as a regular platform for exchanging policies and good practices on the empowerment of women and girls.
ACW-ACWC Consultation Meeting serves as a platform for the ACW and the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) to synergise their efforts on areas of mutual interest, as well as purposively facilitate partnership on complementing issues such as gender mainstreaming, women, peace and security, gender and climate change, and non-gender stereotyping, among others.
ACW and ACWC Joint Ad-hoc Working Group on Gender Mainstreaming is an ad-hoc working group established to develop a comprehensive regional strategy to mainstream gender perspectives across all three ASEAN Community pillars.
ACW and ACWC Advisory Group on Women, Peace and Security (WPS was established to implement the multi-year programme to implement the WPS agenda in ASEAN.
ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network (AWEN) is a network of business women in the region. It serves as a platform to exchange knowledge and experiences on promoting economic and trade activities in order to enhance gender equality, and empower and strengthen entrepreneurship skills of women in ASEAN Community. AWEN seeks to create a favorable environment for female-led enterprises and support women entrepreneurship in the region.
The ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) was inaugurated during the 16th ASEAN Summit on 7 April 2010 in Ha Noi, Viet Nam. The ACWC is mandated to develop policies, programmes, and innovative strategies to promote and protect the rights of women and children in line with the Convention on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
As a consultative ASEAN body, ACWC comprises representatives of ASEAN Member States, civil society organisations, and academe. The ACWC reports to and supports the work of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (AMMSWD).
The ACWC convenes regional workshops, seminars, training sessions and consultative meetings that provide platforms for government officials, civil society organisations, professionals and other stakeholders to exchange views, share experiences and build commitments and common understanding. It likewise undertakes strategic studies and action researches to develop policy recommendations and regional guidelines to actualize the rights of women and children in the region.
The ACWC engages strategic partnership with ASEAN’s Dialogue Partners, ASEAN Sectoral Bodies, such as SOMSWD, AICHR, and ACW, as well as with international organisations and civil society organisations. The ACWC regularly convenes Open Sessions with Partners and Partnership Conferences to exchange updates on new and emerging trends and issues as well as to explore areas for future collaborations.
The ACWC is implementing its work plan for 2016-2020, which focuses on the following thematic areas:
- Strengthening the institutional capacity of ACWC
- Elimination of violence against women and children
- The right of children to participate in all affairs that affect them
- Trafficking in women and children
- Promotion and protection of the rights of women and children with disabilities
- Child Protection System: Comprehensive / Integrative Approach for Children in Need for Special Protection (e.g. victims of abuse and neglect, trafficking, child labour, children affected by statelessness, undocumented migrant children, HIV/AIDS, natural disaster, conflicts, and children in juvenile justice system / children in conflict with the law)
- The right to early childhood and quality education
- Promoting implementation of international, ASEAN and other instruments related to the rights of women and children
- Gender equality in education (textbook, curriculum, equal access)
- Social impact of climate change on women and children
- Strengthening economic rights of women with regards to feminisation of poverty, women’s rights to land and property
- Adolescent physical and mental health
- Gender perspective in policies, strategies and programmes for migrant workers
- Gender mainstreaming
- Women participation in politics and decision making, governance and democracy
- Early marriage
Key Documents
- ASEAN Guidelines for Developing National Standard Operating Procedures for a Coordinated Response to Violence against Women and Girls
- ASEAN Gender Mainstreaming Strategic Framework
- Declaration on Building a more Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient Future: Unlocking Women’s Entrepreneurship in ASEAN
- ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on Women Peace and Security
- Joint Statement of the Third ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Women (AMMW)
- Joint Statement of the Second ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Women (AMMW)
- Media Statement of the First ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Women (AMMW)
- Vientiane Declaration on Enhancing Gender Perspective and ASEAN Women’s Partnership for Environmental Sustainability
- Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women in the ASEAN Region
- Declaration of the Advancement of Women in the ASEAN Region
- Joint Statement on Promoting Women, Peace and Security in ASEAN
- Action Agenda on Mainstreaming Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) in ASEAN
- Joint Statement on Reaffirmation of Commitment to Advancing the Rights of the Child in ASEAN
- Declaration on the Protection of Children from All Forms of Online Exploitation and Abuse in ASEAN
- ASEAN Declaration on the Rights of Children in the Context of Migration
- ASEAN Declaration on the Gender-Responsive Implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and Sustainable Development Goals
- Joint Statement on Promoting Women, Peace and Security in ASEAN
- Action Agenda on Mainstreaming Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) in ASEAN
- ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children; ACTIP and Plan
- The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Elimination of Violence Against Children in ASEAN
- Ha Noi Declaration on the Enhancement of Welfare and Development of ASEAN Women and Children
- Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women in the ASEAN Region
- Declaration of the Advancement of Women in the ASEAN Region
Publications
- ASEAN Do No Harm Guide for Frontline Responders Safeguarding the rights of Victims of Trafficking in Persons
- ACW Work Plan 2021-2025
- ACWC Work Plan 2021-2025
- The ASEAN Committee on Women: 30 Years After (2005)
- The Third Regional Report on the Advancement of Women (2007)
- ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW) Work Plan (2011-2015)
- ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence against Women (RPA on EVAW) (2016) (in collaboration with ACWC)
- Projected Gender Impact of the ASEAN Economic Community (2016) (in collaboration with ACWC, Australia, the ASEAN Secretariat, UN Women)
- Strengthening Women’s Entrepreneurship in ASEAN (2017) (in collaboration with ACCMSME and OECD)
- ASEAN Regional Guidelines on Violence against Women and Girls Data Collection and Use (2017) (in collaboration with ACWC, Australia, the ASEAN Secretariat, UN Women); English Version here and Vietnam Version here
- Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Digital Economy (2018) (in collaboration with US-ACTI, the ASEAN Secretariat, ACWC, ACCMSME, ASEAN BAC, AWEN, USAID, ILO)
- Terms of Reference of the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) (2010)
- ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) Work Plan 2012-2016
- ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) Work Plan 2016-2020
- Good Practices: Eliminating Violence Against Women and Children (EVAWC) (2016)
- ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence against Children (RPA on EVAC) (2016) (in collaboration with SOMSWD); Indonesia version here and English version here
- Gender Sensitive Guidelines for Handling Women Victims of Trafficking in Persons (2016)
- The ASEAN Guidelines for a Non-Violent Approach to Nurture, Care, and Development of Children in all Settings (2016)
- Regional Review on Laws, Policies and Practices within ASEAN relating to the Identification, Management and Treatment of Victims of Trafficking, especially Women and Children (2016)
- Projected Gender Impact of the ASEAN Economic Community (2016) (in collaboration with ACW, Australia, the ASEAN Secretariat, UN Women)
- Progress Report on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (2016) (in collaboration with E-READI, UN Women, and the ASEAN Secretariat)
- ASEAN Early Childhood Care, Development and Education Quality Standards (2017)
- Ending violence against children in ASEAN member States: Baseline study of priority areas under the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence against Children (2017) (in collaboration with SOMSWD, the ASEAN Secretariat, UNICEF)
- ASEAN Regional Guidelines on Violence against Women and Girls Data Collection and Use (2017) (in collaboration with ACW, Australia, the ASEAN Secretariat, UN Women); Vietnam Version here and English Version here
- Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Digital Economy (2018) (in collaboration with US-ACTI, the ASEAN Secretariat, ACW, ACCMSME, ASEAN BAC, AWEN, USAID, ILO)
- ASEAN Regional Guidelines and Procedures to Address the Needs of Victims of Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (2018)
- Ending violence against children in ASEAN Member States: Mid-term review of priority areas under the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence against Children 2016-2025 (2019) (in collaboration with UNICEF)
- Study on State of the Child in ASEAN: Commemorating 30 Years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (2019) (in collaboration with SOMSWD, the ASEAN Secretariat, UNICEF)
- State of Gender Equality and Climate Change in ASEAN (2022)
