Homeless children are taken care in a shelter. (Photo: VNA)The 11th Meeting of the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) took place in Makati, the Philippines from October 18-20.
The meeting reviewed the Terms of Reference of ACWC and implementation of the work plan between 2012 and 2016.
The ACWC officials assessed laws, policies and practices in ASEAN member states regarding the treatment of human-trafficking victims, especially women and children, under the co-ordination of Laos.
They discussed the draft Progress Report on Women’s Rights, Empowerment and Gender Equality, which reviews the progress in advancing women’s political, economic and social rights at regional and national levels.
The ASEAN Guideline for a Non-violent Approach to Nurturing, Care and Development of Children was also revised. It focuses on children’s place in the home, educational settings, the community, the workplace, children’s shelters and juvenile justice centres.
An open working session was organised with the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Regional Office for East Asia and the Pacific, also known as UNICEF EAPRO. It introduced to the delegates a publication entitled “Legal protection from violence: Analysis of domestic laws related to violence against children in ASEAN”.
The meeting’s report is scheduled to be released in March 2016.
The ACWC officials also met with the ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW) representatives on October 20 to discuss initial steps to implement the Regional Plan of Action on Elimination of Violence Against Women (RPA EVAW).-VNA
