Breaking the Silence and Unlocking Barriers for Human Rights in ASEAN: A report on the Performance of the ASEAN Human Rights Mechanisms in 2015

Author: FORUM - ASIA & SAPA TF-AHR
Year: 2016
Country: Thailand

The following report is the sixth annual review of the performance of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) human rights mechanisms produced by the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and the Solidarity for ASEAN People’s Advocacies – Task Force on ASEAN and Human Rights (SAPA TFAHR).

Throughout 2015, there were key developments observed in relation to the AICHR and the ACWC. For example, the AICHR has taken the initiative to mainstream human rights into the ASEAN Vision 2025 document, has drafted a new Work Plan for 2016-2020, and has adopted Guidelines to establish a systematic relation with civil society organisations (CSOs). In the same year, the ACWC was successful in drafting the Regional Plan of Action on the Eliminationx of Violence Against Women (RPA on EVAW) and the Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence Against Children (RPA on EVAC), as well as the Gender Sensitive Guidelines for Handling of Women Victims of Traffcking in Persons, which later were adopted by ASEAN. The ACWC also managed to conduct a review of its Terms of Reference (TOR) and submitted its input to the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (AMMSWD). These developments were important for laying the ground for policies on the promotion and protection of human rights in ASEAN.

The following report is the sixth annual review of the performance of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) human rights mechanisms produced by the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and the Solidarity for ASEAN People’s Advocacies – Task Force on ASEAN and Human Rights (SAPA TFAHR).

LINK Breaking the Silence and Unlocking Barriers for Human Rights in ASEAN: A report on the Performance of the ASEAN Human Rights Mechanisms in 2015