CAMBODIA
INDONESIA
LAOS
MALAYSIA
PHILIPPINES
SINGAPORE
THAILAND
VIETNAM
COMMON AREAS OF CONCERN
1. Women and Health
2. Women and Employment
CAMBODIA
COMMITMENTS:
- Enable women to break the vicious circle of poverty - Remove gender disparities in national education programmes - adopt a comprehensive and adequately funded health care service for women - Bring gender parity in peace negotiations and conflict resolutions - Eliminate discriminatory elements in laws and regulations concerning economic activities - Design and Implement employment programmes targeting women, guarantee loans for women entrepreneurs and provide training to women in non-traditional fields
ACTIONS TAKEN:
BY GOVERNMENT:
- Institutional Strengthening -- the government has upgraded
the former Secretariat of State for Women's Affairs to a
Ministry of Women's Affairs which is accountable to the
Council of Ministers instead of the Prime Ministers
- organised a national conference to review activies since
1995 and tried to project activities according to the
Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA). At the conference 4
critical areas for action were agreed upon-- legal
protection; education; reproductive health and equal
participation in economic development
BY NGOS:
1. Outreach, a group of Cambodian human rights activists and former victims of human rights and democracy abuses who work cooperatively with local organisations in Cambodia and with international NGOs. Outreach conducted programmes for rural women eg. conducting of training workshops on human rights and democracy with women in rural areas and rural development work. It came out with the following suggestions for Government action:
- Establishing a platform for women to identify what Cambodian
women need in order to share their experiences with the
community or in society; organising many meetings with women
at national level.
- Increasing education, advocacy and media work on rural
women's issues.
- conducting women's leadership training programmes
-Increasing women's participation in public affairs programmes.
- Implementing credit schemes for women.
2. Currently there are about 300 NGOs in Cambodia. However, only 4 of these organisations work on promoting women's participation in politics. These are Women for Prosperity; Khemer Women's Voice Center. Women's Media Center and International Republican Institute.
3. AMARA - a network of women cooperating for equality, development and peace, with the goals of preparing a platform for women and preparing women to take action for change in their communities.Since Beijing, AMARA's strategy for enhancing the status for women, has been drawn form the BPFA. The BPFA places poverty as the first critical area of concern. AMARA believes that women cannot advance in society without securing a better economic empowerment of women. AMARA and 30 NGOs in the team will focus on women's economic empowerment as their priority activity for the next 4 years.
INDONESIA
COMMITMENTS
Not available
ACTIONS TAKEN
BY GOVERNMENT
-The National Plan for Women's Advancement focusses on 5 priority areas which fall within the 12 critical areas of concern of the BPFA. They are:
- the increased quality of women as human resources in development;
-the increased quality of the role and protection of female workers;
- the increased quality of the multifunctional roles of men and women in the family and community;
- the development of the socio-cultural environment conducive to the
advancement of women;
- the development of institutional mechanisms for the advancement of
women and women's organisations
The following steps have been taken to strengthen the institutional functions and mechanism for supporting post-Beijing implementation efforts:
- Increased coordination between the national machinery for women's advancement
and other line ministries and implementing committees
- Increased cooperation between the national machinery for women's advancement, management committees for implementation, sectors and government
organisations and women's and religious groups at different levels.
- Increased integration of the planning of women's programmes at different levels and with the national Development Planning Agency
- Periodic monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of programmes
- increased advocacy on gender and development issues directed at official of sectoral ministries and departments at national and regional levels
- implementation of gender analysis training particularly for planners
members of women's studies' centres and other women and community
organisations.
- support for the compilation of a profile on the status and role of women at national, provincial and regional levels
- encouraged the Central Bureau of Statistics and women's studies centres to publish general statistics and data
BY NGOS
KOWANI, an umbrella organisation comprising 70 women's NGOs, has been actively involved in post-Beijing implementation particularly in disseminating the contents of the Platform for Action and advocacy and training work. KOWANI's focus area include women and poverty, violence against women, women's economic empowerment, legal literacy, education and the girl child. KOWANI works closely with the government in implementing the Platform for Action.
LAOS
COMMITMENTS
In line with the BPFA, the government is committed to improving vocational and in-service training for women. It emphasises the importance of capacity-building and human resources development in promoting more active and integrated participation of women in sustainable development.
ACTIONS TAKEN
BY GOVERNMENT
In a resolution of the sixth Party Congress , gender issues were taken into consideration, and in particular the need for:
- upgrading and raising education and vocational skills of women so that they can participate in all spheres of life;
- building women's capability and promoting women's development;
- promoting gender awareness in society in society in order to put into practice equality between women and men as stipulated in the constituiomn and laws;
- protecting the rights and interests of mothers and children.
The Lao Women's Union (LWU) is a national organisation recognised under the Constitution (Article7) as the mechanism for promoting equal rights advancement and mobilising Lao women of all ethnic groups to work together to develop the country. To ensure gender issues are incorporated in all government, bilateral and multilateral projects in all areas and sectors, the LWU has recently recommended that each Ministry have a focal point together with the Women's Union Committee for Gender-related matters.
However, the LWU faces many difficulties and obstacles in implementing the BPFA. These include:
- household load of women;
- low level of education among women and less;
opportunities\es for skills and vocational training;
- high rates of girls dropping out of schools in rural areas;
- lack of awareness of laws and the constitution among women;
- persistent gender bias stemming from tradition and beliefs about women;
- lack of gender awareness in society.
MALAYSIA
COMMITMENTS
- Enhance the national machinery for women's advancement
- Increased women's participation in decision-making
- Safeguard women's rights to health education and social well-being
- Remove legal obstacles and gender discriminatory practices.
BY GOVERNMENT
To fully implement the National Policy on Women, a National Plan has been formulated and approved
by the Cabinet in 1996. This Plan takes cognisance of the recommendations in the Beijing Platform
for Action.
Following the 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing, the Government of Malaysia has taken steps to strengthen the national machinery for
women's advancement. The Women's Affairs Division (HAWA) of the
Ministry of National Unity and Social Development has been upgraded
since January 1997 and redesignated as the Department for the
Advancement of Women.
NACIWID (the National Advisory Council for the Integration of Women
in Development) has been given a fresh mandate in order to be more effective
as an advisory body to the Government and to NGOs. An inter-Ministerail Committee has been set
up to improve communication and coordination between the various
Ministries responsible for the implementation of the national development plans in their respective
sectors and to monitor the impact of their policies on women.
Increased budgetary allocations ahve been made to all levels of the national machinery for women's advancement with
appropriate allocations to NGOs to assist in various projects in the
implmentation of the National Plan of Action
- The Domestic Violence Act passed in 1994 eventually came into force
in June 1996. With the enforcement of the Act, domestic violence is
deemed a crime with appropriate penalties imposed. The Ministry of National
Unity and Social Development has set up temporary shelters for victims
of Domestic violence.
BY NGOs
Women's NGOs in Malaysia have identified a number of priority issues
of concern and embarked on various projects. Of particular concern
is the issue of:
- violence against women;
- employment;
- law;
- health;
- education and the girl child.
Violence Against Women: The NGOs continue to lobby for greater transparency of procedure adopted by police personnel and welfare officers. They have called for appropriate training and sensitisation of officers dealing with the issue. A number of NGOs also run shelters for abused women and provide counseling and other services for the women and their children. 90% of Government hospitals (94 out of 111) have now established integrated "One-stop Crisis Centre (OSCC) to serve rape victims, battered women and women in crisis situation. NCWO, an umbrella organisation for NGOs, has adapted and implemented a Rape Investigation Kit. A roadshow at state and district levels to raise awareness on the Domestic Violence Act is being conducted by NCWO in collaboration with the police, the Welfare Department and the Ministry of Health, Association of Women Lawyers and the YWCA. A pilot scheme to increase the number of volunteer paralegal counsellors for the One-Stop Crisis Centres and Shelters for battered women has been launched To address the growing concern about missing children and adolescents, NGOs working with related government agencies have conducted case studies and gathered data on the subject.
Discrimination Against Women:A number of studies and seminars to review existing practices of civil (family) law and the Syariah to identify areas of injustices and grievances have been held. A Special Committee has been set up to work out procedures for the establishment of a single Federal Syariah Judicial System to replace the present state-based institutions. All earlier reservations made to the CEDAW have been reviewed by the government after NCWO submitted a report following the Beijing Conference. As a result, the reservations on Articles 2(f). 9(1), 16(b). 16(d), 16(h) have been withdrawn. Article 9(2)will be withdrawn as and when Parliament amends the relevant laws. Malaysia however, sustains its reservation on Articles\ticles 5(a), 7(b) and 16(a) giving its reasons.
Employment:In the public sector, several women have made breakthroughs in securing senior appointments.
Strategies to address gender bias and discrimination are through legal literacy; gender sensitisation, setting up of gender studies units etc.
PHILIPPINES
COMMITMENTS
- Increase annual contribution to UNIFEM by 70%;
-Mandate that all government officers allocate a portion of their annual budget to women specific and gender oriented programmes;
- intensify training of rural women and expand their access to credit;
-Impose more stringent penalties for those who engage in trafficking.
ACTIONS TAKEN
BY GOVERNMENT
Through he Executive Order 273, the government adopted the Philippine Plan for Gender Responsive Development (PPGD) 119-2025, a 30 year plan which is its main mechanism for implementing the BPFA. Under Section 27 of the 1996 General Approriations Act, all government agencies were directed to allocate 5% of their total budget for womenrelated programmes and projects The national women's machinery was strengthened by expanding its board to include 10 key line departments, increasing its technical and administrative positions and by providing additional funds for its organisational expansion.
BY NGOs
Philippine NGO Beijing Score Board (PBSB): The PBSB commends the Philippines government for issuing commitments to implement the BPFA. Although the Philippine government has reported on progress made in implementing the BPFA through a number of measures including issuing of government orders and initiating policy on Gender and Development budgets of the government departments, concerned sectors including members of civil society, have observed that pronouncements of the government do not seem to provide real indicators on the status of implementation of the BPFA. Concerns observed by PBSB are: Women and Children continue to suffer poverty; the social reform agenda has failed miserably; poor performance of the comprehensive Agrarian Reform Programme; increasing trend in casualisation and contratualisation of labour; continuing feminisation of overseas employment; poor health status of women; violence against women and the unabated trafficking in women; limited political participation for women; increasing incidence of human rights violation; women suffer most from continuing environmental degradation and inadequate care and protection for the girl-child.
THAILAND
COMMITMENTS
- Develop a detailed plan for action to implement the Decalaration and the Platform for Action immediately;
- Integrate women and social development into the eight\ght national Economic and Social Development Plan.
ACTIONS TAKEN
BY GOVERMENTS
Thailand's implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for the Advancement of Women can be summarised in 4 major groups of activities:
1. Formulation of National Plan and Advocacy;
2. Promotion of Equality;
3. Appointment of Committees to work on specific issues;
4. Implementation of plans of action and activities in relation to areas of concerns and with GO-NGO collaboration.
BY NGOS
Thai Women Watch (TW2)- formed in 1996 with the objectives to
1. monitor the implementation of the BPFA to the general public in Thailand and the international community; and
2. to support and encourage activities of the Thai government and the Thai NGOs towards the advancement of women in Thailand.
Key national achievements- a national plan of action on women's development (1997-2001) was submitted to the UN. Two other national plans of action in specific areas have also been completed: Family Development (1995-2005) and Prevention and Eradication of Commercial Sexual Exploitation.
VIETNAM
COMMITMENTS
Not available
ACTIONS TAKEN
BY GOVERNMENT
Under the direct guidance of the government, the National Committee for the Advancement of Women in Vietnam (NCFAW) has instructed ministries and Government branches in provinces and in cities to develop the National Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women to the year 2000, specifically focussing on the objectives outlined in the Development Strategy for the Advancement of Women and defining responsibilities of respective ministries/ branches in realising these objectives.
BY NGOS
Vietnam Women's Union (VWU) - The VWU monitors implementation of its activities through periodic written reports, six-monthly field visits to all provinces by Women's Union leaders of the Central Women's Union and freuebnt filed visits by the staff. In addition review and evaluation workshops are held. The VWU has been implementing various projects which focus on the issue of poverty alleviation; education; healthcare; women in politics, violence against women.
For more details of country reports please refer to the APDC publication on "Asia-pacific Post-Beijing Implementation Monitor"(1998).
Contact address:
Gender and Development Programme,
Asian and Pacific Developemnt Centre,
Persiaran Duta, P.O. Box 12224,
507770 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
Tel/Fax: 603-6519209.
E-mail:gad@pc.jaring.my
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