The ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) concluded its Seventh Meeting convened on 22-24 July 2013 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Meeting was participated by ASEAN Member States (AMS) and the main event was the finalisation of the draft Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (VAW) and Elimination of Violence Against Children (VAC). The said Declaration addresses the concern of VAW and VAC as obstacles to achieving equality, peace and development, and reflects the collective efforts of ASEAN to intensify and strengthen policy, legal frameworks and institutional capacity to counter VAW and VAC. The ACWC reaffirmed its commitment to remove such obstacles in the context of strengthening regional cooperation, collaboration, and coordination endeavored to eliminate VAW and VAC. Goals and commitments made related to such were reaffirmed and key measures, such as building adequate resourced national welfare systems, protection, recovery and rehabilitation of victims, promotion of legislation against VAW and VAC, protection of the right of women and children, were highlighted. The Declaration further enhanced the coverage of vulnerabilities and emerging forms of abuse confronted by women and children such as conflict, migration, disaster, emergency situation, climate change, human trafficking, labor, cyber based abuses, persons with disabilities, statelessness and belonging to ethnic and/or indigenous groups were to be addressed.
source: www.asean.org
