VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Violence against women is a global problem. Violence is a major factor in the marginalization of women in economic, political, and social life, and presents a significant health risk for women. Inadequate legal structures in much of Asia effectively condone violence against women. Even in countries where adequate laws are in place, violence against women is often considered socially acceptable, and these laws are rarely enforced. The Asia Foundation’s programs to reduce violence against women include efforts to address the immediacy of a violent situation through the provision of services to victims, such as shelters and counseling, and long-term strategies to address the root causes of the problem. These programs build a grassroots constituent base, provide advocacy and leadership skills, and support public education to raise awareness of the problem and to counter the social norms that condone violence against women in Asia.

CAMBODIA
The Asia Foundation commissioned the first-ever research on domestic violence in Cambodia, which led to the formation of the Project Against Domestic Violence (PADV), the first Cambodian organization to address this problem. The Foundation currently supports PADV and The Cambodian Women's Crisis Center (CWCC) in advocating for passage of the Domestic Violence Law. The Foundation also continues to support the Cambodian Committee of Women (CAMBOW), a coalition of 33 NGOs working to end violence against women in Cambodia, to advocate for the passage of the domestic violence law that will be debated in the national assembly, and to train lawyers to represent women victims of violence.

PACIFIC ISLAND NATIONS
The Asia Foundation supported the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre (FWCC) to conduct training for 24 women’s human rights experts from nine Pacific Island nations, providing them with skills to train their peers in combating violence against women. The training equipped participants with information on effective international human rights instruments to combat violence against women and protect women’s human rights, using the comprehensive Gender and Human Rights training manual developed by FWCC with Foundation support. In 2003, FWCC also held its first four-week Regional Training Program (RTP) for representatives of domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers and hotlines, and other service providers in Fiji, providing instruction on legal rights, basic counseling, crisis center management, advocacy, and the media.

MONGOLIA
The Asia Foundation provided a legal expert in domestic violence law to advise the Women Lawyers’ Association and the National Coalition Against Violence in drafting Mongolia’s first domestic violence law. The Foundation has subsequently supported an NGO advocacy campaign for passage of the domestic violence law that will be debated in the fall 2003 session of parliament.

THAILAND
The Asia Foundation supported the establishment of the first-ever psycho-social counseling program for teenage victims of sexual abuse and family violence in secondary schools in Chiang Mai, Thailand.