PUTRAJAYA, 21 September 2023 – The 27th ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) Meeting highlighted the ASEAN Member States (AMS) intensified commitment and strategic actions to promote and protect the rights of women and children in the region, particularly in the context of migration and online technologies.

“One of the significant paths in realising the vision of an inclusive and resilient ASEAN Community is through upholding the rights of women and children. More than ever, the ACWC is striving to strengthen capacities of policy makers and frontline service providers to make sure that the rights of women and children are promoted and protected at all times,” said Yanti Kusumawardhani, Chair of the ACWC and Indonesia’s ACWC Representative for Children’s Rights.

This year, the ACWC successfully launched the E-Learning and Introductory Course on Gender Sensitive and Victim Centred Approaches to Trafficking in Persons. It has also developed several guidelines on coordinated responses to violence against women and on developing national legislation against all forms of online child sexual exploitation and abuse, among others.

“Working with partners and multiple stakeholders is critically important in advocating for women’s rights and children’s rights,” said Soukphaphone Phanit, Permanent Secretary of the Lao Women’s Union and Lao PDR’s ACWC Representative for Women’s Rights. She added, “The ACWC has consistently reached out and worked with strategic partners for the promotion and protection of women’s rights and children’s rights.”

The ACWC continues its longstanding partnership with the ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW) to implement the ASEAN Gender Mainstreaming Strategic Framework and Regional Plan of Action on Women, Peace and Security (ASEAN RPA on WPS).

The ACWC also closely collaborates with other ASEAN Sectoral Bodies such as the Senior Officials Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (SOMSWD) on child’s rights and welfare, as well as with the Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crimes (SOMTC) on eliminating trafficking-in- persons in the region.

In implementing the ACWC Work Plan 2021-2025, the ACWC engages ASEAN Dialogue Partners such as Australia, Canada and the US, as well as international organisations such as UNICEF, UN Women, and UNHCR, among others. Moreover, ACWC engages civil society organisations such as ASEAN-ACT, ECPAT International, and CRC Asia, on implementing regional projects that address existing and emerging threats and challenges to realising the rights of women and children.

To further strengthen such partnerships, ACWC will convene the 4th ACWC Partnership Conference in November 2023.

The 27th ACWC Meeting was attended by the representatives for women’s rights and children’s rights from all ASEAN Member States together with the ASEAN Secretariat. Representatives from Timor-Leste attended the meeting as observers.

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