e
ngaging ASEAN
Some reflections from the Women’s Caucus
Outline
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The Women’s Caucus
In Engaging ASEAN
Key Activities
Challenges
Lessons Learned
The Women’s Caucus
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Formed in 2008, ASEAN Human Rights
Body meetings on the then ASEAN
Declaration on Human Rights (ADHR
Absence of women’s network, following
the approval of the ASEAN Charter
Initially convened by the Asia Pacific
Forum on Women, Law and Development
(APWLD) and International Women’s
Rights-Action Watch (IWRAW-AP)
The Women’s Caucus
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Key areas of work:
 Violence against women
 Discriminatory laws and practices
 Migration
 Economic participation
 Political participation
Leadership structure – Mentoring system
 Past, Present, Future Chairs of ASEAN plus APWLD and
IWRAW-AP
 Linkage between national and regional
Membership
 Over 60 organizations in 11 countries, including East Timor
Engages ASEAN bodies – AICHR, ACWC and ACMW
In Engaging ASEAN…
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ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on
Human Rights (AICHR)
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ASEAN Human Rights Declaration
ASEAN Commission for the Promotion and
Protection of Women and Children (ACWC)
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ROPs, Work Plan and thematic studies
Dialogue
ROPs, Work Plan
CSO Institutionalization
Internal strengthening
Collaborating with broader civil society
In Engaging ASEAN…
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Building up on internal resources – members
as resource persons themselves, with their
own expertise on different issues
Strengthening community ownership
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Strong information – gathering and sharing
National consultations – focal organizations
Coordinating group – national and regional
Regular consultation – online and face to
face
Capacity-building – emphasis on CLMV and
Brunei and young women and new faces
In Engaging ASEAN…
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Clear communications – Emphasis on formal
communications
 In a still largely adhoc environment
Building relationships – Emphasis on formal
means
 ASEAN Secretariat and national
representatives
 Content/ submissions
 Communications
 Prepared for backlash
In Engaging ASEAN…
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Content/ Position
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Sources recognized by ASEAN
 Ex. For AHRD – national laws, ASEAN declarations,
regional and int’l HR mechanisms
Existing expertise within the Caucus
Ensuring consultation within the membership
Coordination with other civil society groups
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Identifying and pursuing common positions
 Ex. Women’s Caucus and child rights groups on ACWC
“Claiming” spaces
Key Activities: AICHR
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Submission on the ASEAN Human Rights
Declaration
1st and 2nd Addenda
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Were acknowledged
Relatively good response from a few AICHR reps
Some inputs were taken, some were not
Informal meeting with a few AICHR reps
Capacity-building opportunity: APWLD –
Informal meeting between ASEAN
representatives and UN Independent Expert
on Cultural Rights
Key Activities: AICHR
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Submission on the ASEAN Human Rights
Declaration – October 2011
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3. Everyone has the right to access the public
sphere, social protection measures, financial
resources, information and technologies on
the basis of justiciable, fair and equal access.
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c. Everyone has the right to access social protection services such as affordable and effective
health care, including sexual and reproductive
health, adequate and affordable housing and
education be it formal, informal and traditional.
Key Activities: AICHR
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Submission on the ASEAN Human Rights
Declaration – October 2011
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14. Every individual and community has the
right to self determination.
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a. Every individual is free to decide over one’s
identities, body such as the exercise of one’s
exercise of one’s sexual and reproductive
rights, relationships, mobility and future.
Key Activities: AICHR
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1st and 2nd Addenda
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Due diligence and state obligation
Non-derogation and Non-retrogression of Human
Rights
Duties and Limitation of Human Rights
 “PUBLIC MORALITY”
Women as “Marginalized” rather than “Vulnerable”
Group
Right to citizenship (beyond nationality)
Refugees, undocumented migrants, asylum seekers
Responsibilities of labor-receiving countries
Key Activities: AICHR
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1st and 2nd Addenda
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Sexual orientation and gender identity
Right to found a family and family as a social unit
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
Rights related to work and maternity
Access to Justice
Right to Development
PUBLIC MORALITY
Key Campaign: Public Morality
Key Activities: ACWC
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Submission on ACWC’s ROP and Work Plan
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Was acknowledged
Relatively good response from a few ACWC reps
Some inputs were taken (e.g. CSO participation)
Major downside – Migration excluded in the work
plan
Participation in the Informal Dialogues with ACWC
– February and September 2011
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Participation in the Formal Dialogue with ACWC –
January 2012
Participation in the 2nd Formal Dialogue with ACWC –
July 2012 - APWLD – playing a coordination role in the
CSO-ACWC dialogue
Key Activities: ACWC
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Submission on Due Diligence and VAW
(Jan2012)
Good and bad practices – prevention,
protection, punishment and reparations
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Towards a “Convention on VAW”
Letter (Jan2012)
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Inquiry on VAW  women domestic workers
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Interpreting its mandate more boldly
Participation in the Task Forces
Mapping of regional resource persons
Institutionalization of CSO participation
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Clear processes and definition
Key Activities: ACWC
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Declaration on VAW and VAC
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VAWC – VAW and VAC
Rights vs. “corporate social responsibility”
Due diligence – all the four areas, including
reparations
Harmonization of national laws
Harmonization with international human rights
standards – CEDAW and CRC
Civil society participation
Work Plans
Challenges
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Different understanding of women’s human rights
by different ASEAN bodies and representatives
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ASEAN – despite CEDAW and CRC - Reservations
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Strong resistance against SOGI and the S and R of SRHR
Heteronormative, welfare approach
Resurgence of fundamentalisms
“Particularities,” making HR conditional
Civil society
General public
Challenges
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Uneven interest in ASEAN
Slow pace of opening up/ confidence
building
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Ignorance?
Political limitations esp. in CMLV and
Brunei
Dynamics within ASEAN
Challenges
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CSO participation is not institutionalized
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Struggles within civil society
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What are the entry points?
Confidence-building - adhoc and personal
Varying civil society cultures – including language
Women being relegated to “women’s issues”
Challenges in sharing spaces – HR and WHR
National – regional – international
Who is civil society?
Capacity and Resources, i.e. emerging patterns
of funding
Lessons Learned
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National as the key arena of struggle
Creatively pursuing and interpreting CEDAW
and CRC
Need for non-threatening dialogue but an
effective and institutionalized mechanism for
engagement, including capacity-building
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How to introduce cultural rights viz. individual
rights, SOGI etc?
How can individuals and groups with security
issues go to ASEAN without going through formal
channels (ex. National govt) that are not safe?
Lessons Learned
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Developing allies from within
Flexibility in defining civil society
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Ensuring inclusivity, esp . In countries where there
is no CSO culture as we know it
Keeping, expanding and diversifying the
spaces for women and girls
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Capacity building
Women’s Leadership
THANK YOU!
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