Thank you to everyone who joined the July 29 ANWS Regional Webinar, hosted by the Garden of Hope Foundation (GOH). This session focused on final preparations for participation in the upcoming 5th World Conference of Women’s Shelters (5WCWS) and provided an overview of conference plans and timelines.
The WCWS is the largest global conference led by and for grassroots organizations working to end gender-based violence (GBV). The 5WCWS will take place this September 15–18 in Australia. As the secretariat of ANWS and the host of the 4WCWS in 2019, GOH took this opportunity to convene both ANWS members and new allies across Asia to share their plans and updates for the 5WCWS. This was also a chance for organizations to ask questions and contribute their own ideas on how to best make use of discussion and networking opportunities provided by the conference.
Discussions
As this was a more information and announcement-oriented webinar, everyone remained in a large general meeting. The discussion agenda was as follows:
September 17 Plenary: Asia Report
Attendees were given an overview of the 5-minute Asia Report to be presented at the Sept 17 Plenary by GOH Chairperson Dr. Ay-Woan PAN.
- Present an overview of the current GBV situation in Asian regions, supported by data and statistics
- Acknowledge key efforts and achievements in GVB prevention by various organizations with specific details from our network partners
- Highlight major new challenges and suggestions on how to approach them
- Propose future directions in collective advocacy and reinforce the joint goals of the network
Overview of the Asia Presentation at 5WCWS
There will be around 13 presentations from Asian delegates during 5WCWS. These will focus on issues encountered in long-term shelter development and GBV prevention as well as the evolving needs of women’s shelters. There will also be progress reports covering the last few decades of advocacy work in various parts of Asia and networking opportunities. Featured presentations include:
- Mongolia’s presentation on their past 30 years of work. They will cover the history and current situation of GBV in Mongolia, including the rising rates of violence against young girls and the effects of Covid 19. Their second presentation will focus on technology-facilitated GBV, covering the extent and nature of technology-facilitated violence and the challenges presented by it. They will also present figure policy recommendations and address media and education as well as the accountability and responsibility of technology providers.
- Tajikistan will also present on technology-facilitated GBV and increased demand for support in this area. They will also address the new challenges presented by technology and present their research into and response to technology-facilitated violence.
- South Korea on criminal legislation and the Digital Sexual Violence Act.
- Taiwan on trauma-informed care in shelters and how it operates.
- Japan on misogyny, nationalism, and ‘incel’ influence, and their second presentation focuses on survivor-led movements to reform Japanese justice systems. They will cover the history of survivor-led activism and its successes alongside the history of GBV law in Japan and the continued influence of patriarchal culture. Their presentation will also include their current efforts to educate policymakers and raise public awareness on issues of sexual violence.
- Vietnam on workplace sexual harrassment.
For more details, please check 5WCWS website: https://fifthworldshelterconference.org/program-overview/
September 16 Schedule Review
During the conference-allotted time for regional get-togethers, ANWS will have their own space from 17:00 to 21:00.
The proposed timeline for the get-together:
– 5 mins: welcome and opening remarks
– 10 mins: meet and greet
– 30 mins: sharing of the best practices adopted by each organization, with priority given to those who did -not already share in their main presentations
– 20 mins: volunteer-facilitated small group discussion over the next steps for regional coordination
– 15 mins: wrap-up and sharing from each group
– 5 mins: presenting of the Asia Report in preparation for the Sept 17 Plenary
= 5 mins: Q&A/ closure
Booth Preparation and Other Logistics
During the conference, ANWS will have a booth from the afternoon of Sept 15 to afternoon of Sept 17. (Booth Number: 10)
Organizations are invited to supply their informative/promotional materials in English for display and outreach at the booth. The booth will need to be staffed by volunteers in 2-hour shifts, and organization members are encouraged to volunteer.
This webinar created a meaningful platform for both ANWS members and new friends to reconnect, reflect, and strategize. Most importantly, it brought us together under a shared purpose: to prepare a strong, united presence at the 5WCWS and beyond.
This webinar provided the opportunity for ANWS to go over final conference preparations and for individuals and organizations alike to present ideas to maximize our conference experience. It was also a chance for ANWS to catch up and be more familiar with each other’s work before the conference.
Let’s continue this momentum and work collectively toward a world free from violence. We look forward to seeing all our partners at 5WCWS and the changes we can bring together!
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Asian Network of Women's Shelters 