3 women’s rights organizations tackling gender-based violence in Southeast Asia

Over the past 6 months, Kore Global has had the privilege to meet with and learn from over 50 grassroots women’s rights organizations and civil society organizations in Southeast Asia who are working tirelessly to address gender-based violence (GBV).? Across the region, the proportion of women who have experienced physical and/or sexual violence at the hands of an intimate partner over their lifetime ranges from 6% in Singapore, to 15% in Laos and the Philippines, and to 59% in Timor-Leste. Women and girls are also at risk of non-partner violence, with available lifetime prevalence data showing rates ranging from 5% of women in Laos to 19% in Indonesia (UNFPA Asia and the Pacific Regional Office, 2020a).??

From Viet Nam to Timor-Leste, we have been learning from the women’s movement about their priorities, challenges and constraints to working on GBV, at a time when civil society space is shrinking in many countries across the region. The rich insights from this highly collaborative consultation process will inform a new major new gender equality investment in the region – which we will be able to share more on in the coming months.? For now, we’d like to amplify and showcase three examples of the diverse range of grassroots organizations that are spearheading this important work.

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1.? The Freedom Restoration Project, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Founded in 2015 by Sia Kukaewkasem , a Thai national and survivor of domestic violence, the Freedom Restoration Project works to disrupt cycles of abuse for migrant communities on the Thai/Myanmar border. They provide safety, education and a network of support to empower survivors of violence, who fall through the cracks of local service provision due to their migrant status. Unable to access domestic services and legal justice, these marginalized survivors are provided with a shelter that offers a range of services to provide immediate safety, and in the longer-term support independence. The services include up to 6 months of shelter, case management, safety planning, individual counselling, support groups, food, clothing, crisis intervention, referrals, and emergency relocation funds.

2. Perkumpulan Lintas Feminis Jakarta , Indonesia?

Jakarta Feminist is a feminist community that aims to promote feminist values to achieve gender equality in Indonesia. Its’ vision is the realization of equality for all, supported by the feminist movement. They founded the Women’s March in Jakarta, - an action movement of women and vulnerable groups such as gender and sexual minority groups, domestic workers, and migrant workers. This annual march now involves over 8.000 participants and provides a platform for collective demands for policy change to discriminatory legal and policy frameworks, which fuel and perpetuate GBV.? They also deliver a comprehensive online service providing much needed information for survivors of GBV throughout Indonesia.

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3. Women's Aid Organisation , Malaysia

The founder of Malaysia’s first domestic violence shelter in 1982, Women’s Aid Organisation is now the largest service provider for domestic violence survivors in Malaysia. Through their hotlines, they reach over 3,000 women each year, with targeted information about their rights. Their social workers support survivors of GBV to navigate the justice process, giving them emotional support, and helping them access services from the police, hospitals, welfare department, and other agencies. Learning from women’s lived experiences, they train communities and frontline staff to recognize and respond to domestic violence, and advocate to improve laws and policies, to create lasting change in Malaysian society. National advocacy efforts include working with the Ministry of Women, Family, and Community Development to improve the Domestic Violence Act. They also recently undertook the first ever nationally-represented study on public attitudes towards GBV, providing much needed evidence on key drivers to inform policy and programming.