36TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
ASEAN INTER-PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
6 –12 SEPTEMBER 2015
___________________________________________________________________
RES.36GA/2015/WAIPA/03
RESOLUTION ON STRENGTHENING LEGAL FRAMEWORK TO ELIMINATE
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN ASEAN
(Proposed by Thailand)
The Thirty-Sixth General Assembly of AlPA:
Recalling the Resolution No. 28 GA/2007WAIPA/01 on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Children adopted at the 28th General Assembly in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in September 2007;
Recalling also the Resolution No. 35 GA/2014/WAIPA/02 on the Strengthening Efforts in the Preventing of all forms of Discrimination and Violence against Women and Children in ASEAN adopted at the 35th General Assembly in Vientiane, Lao PDR, in September 2014;
Recognizing that violence against women and children is a significant violation of human rights, which could occur in any group of women and children regardless of their age, education, occupation, race, culture and socio - economic status. Violence against women and children not only affects victims/survivors, but also impedes social and economic development;
Realizing that most victims of violence are women and children, who find it very difficult to speak up and defend their rights particularly when violence occurs both in public and private spheres;
Acknowledging that since the ratification of international human rights treaties, namely the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) as well as the adoption of international and regional agreements regarding the issue of violence against women and children which include the 1993 United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (DEVAW) , the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the 2004 Declaration on the Elimination of the Violence against Women in the ASEAN Region, the 2012 ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, and the 2013 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Elimination of Violence against Children in ASEAN, considerable progress on tackling violence against women and children has been made. However, challenges still remain;
Welcoming the significant contribution of the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) in helping raise awareness on these issues and underscoring the need to eliminate violence against women and children;
Recognizing that responses to this problem require political will, dedicated and sufficient resources, as well as cooperation and collaboration from all sectors at community, national, regional and international levels;
Recognizing also that a human rights based and multi-sectoral approach is necessary to transform structures, institutions and norms that condone violence against women and children;
Acknowledging that parliamentarians should play a major role to strengthen and monitor legal frameworks for the elimination of violence against women and children in ASEAN by increasing their awareness on violence against women and children;
Hereby resolves to:
Call upon AlPA parliamentarians to play a significant role in strengthening legal frameworks to eliminate violence against women and children in ASEAN by increasing awareness on violence against women and children, especially in the monitoring of the implementation of policies and laws regarding the issue of violence against women and children; The ASEAN Committee on the Implementation of the ASEAN Declaration on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers (ACMW).
Emphasize on the men and boys of ASEAN, especially male Parliamentarians, to actively contribute to the prevention and elimination of violence against women and children;
Urge AlPA Parliamentarians to review, amend or abolish national laws, regulations, policies, practices and customs that perpetuate violence against women and children; monitor the implementation of laws on violence against women and children, as well as consider new legislations to respond to new and emerging forms of violence against women and children in ASEAN;
Encourage AlPA Parliamentarians to make use of the AlPA General Assembly as a forum to share and update best practices, lessons learned, progress and challenges on strengthening legal frameworks relating to the elimination of violence against women and children;
Call upon ASEAN Member States and AlPA Member Parliaments to continuously strengthen the existing national mechanisms; legislative, administrative and social measures using multi-sectoral approaches in order to develop legal frameworks to prevent violence against women and children; to protect the rights of victims/survivors of violence against women and children, to remedy the victims and survivors and to provide them support services including psycho-social and legal assistance; as well as to prosecute and punish all acts of violence against women and children;
Urge ASEAN Member States and AIPA Member Parliaments to promote capacity building programmes on gender-sensitivity and prevention of violence against women and children to the judiciary, law enforcement officers including police officers and public prosecutors;
Support the on-going efforts of the ACWC in drafting the Regional Plans of Action on Elimination of Violence against Women (RPA on EVAW) and the Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence against Children (RPA on EVAC) to be in line with General Recommendation 19 of CEDAW on VAW ;
Encourage ASEAN Member States and AlPA Member Parliaments to place importance on strengthening legal frameworks to eliminate violence against women and children in the Post - 2015 period and to incorporate this shared principle into the Post - 2015 ASEAN Community Vision;
Request the AlPA Secretariat to monitor the implementation of this Resolution and to regularly submit progress reports to the General Assembly of AIPA. Adopted on the day of September of Two Thousand and Fifteen at the 36th AIPA General Assembly, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia