The fight to end violence against women and girls will be bolstered by the publication of a new guide offering support to judges across Asia.
The fight to end violence against women and girls will be bolstered by the publication of a new guide offering support to judges across Asia.
Produced in partnership with UN Women, the Commonwealth Secretariat’s ‘Judicial Resource Book on Violence Against Women in Asia’ sets out steps to enable legal systems to tackle the problem in India, Pakistan, Cambodia and Thailand.
It will be launched at Marlborough House on 24 November with a number of High Commissioners in attendance, and coincides with the ‘International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women’, which is celebrated annually.
Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, who will be delivering the Commonwealth Message at the event, said, “This valuable resource book aims both to deepen understanding of the varying forms of violence against women and girls and raise awareness of the important role the judiciary can play in tackling them.
“In Asia, as in all regions of the Commonwealth, the judiciary can make a significant contribution towards strengthening and protecting the human rights of women and girls. This is of vital importance in advancing the values of our Commonwealth Charter, and in attaining the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to which all our member countries are committed.”
The 170-page book is designed to be used as a practical contribution towards promoting justice and fairness in the judicial process for women who have been victims of violence.
It builds on the regional consultation that the Commonwealth co-organised with the UN Women’s Asia-Pacific office in Bangkok in 2014 and 2016.
The ‘International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women’ kicks off the ‘16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence’ which lead up to ‘Human Rights Day’ on 10 December.
Katalaina Sapolu, director of the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Peace and Governance Directorate, said, “Our partnership with UN Women has strengthened our efforts to address violence against women and girls, both in the Commonwealth and globally. Our collaboration has included the development of tools and training modules in partnership with judicial training institutes and national human rights institutions to build the capacity of key sectors. This includes judicial and court administrative officials to effectively address cases of violence against women and girls.”
Ending violence against women and girls is a Commonwealth priority and one of the critical areas for action, as endorsed in the Commonwealth Charter.
