BANGKOK, Thailand – Policymakers, researchers and practitioners held a critical conversation on preventing violence against women at the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development.
Across the region, there is growing momentum to scale up prevention, based on evidence that sustained investment, informed policymaking and partnerships make an impact.
The conversation took off at a side event, "Preventing Violence against Women: Evidence-Based Solutions and Promising Practices from the Asia and the Pacific Region." Speakers highlighted successful initiatives, shared lessons and reinforced the urgency of including prevention strategies in national development agendas.
UNFPA and UN Women co-organized the event, with support from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), under a joint United Nations programme, Gender-Based Violence Prevention in Southeast Asia (2024–2029).
An urgent need to invest
Danielle Sever, Director, Global Development Section, DFAT, delivered opening remarks. “There is an urgent need to invest in long-term gender-based violence prevention efforts alongside response services if we are to eliminate gender-based violence,” she said. Australia has committed to supporting prevention through investments such as the Southeast Asia Gender-Based Violence Prevention Platform.
Shiva Raj Adhikari, Vice Chair of Nepal’s National Planning Commission, shared achievements in his country. “Through the allocation of budgets for gender equality and gender-based violence prevention and response, we ensure progress,” he stated.
Sangay Phuntsho, Chief Planning Officer, Office of the Prime Minister of Bhutan, emphasized consultations with civil society. “Bhutan is committed to preventing gender-based violence,” he said. “To do so, we have a comprehensive national strategy developed through a consultative process.”
Bringing people together to change behaviours
A key theme was the need for different people to work together, including from the media, education and sports, to challenge harmful gender norms and change behaviours.
Cara Gleeson, Director at Our Watch Institution and Prevention in Action, reflected, “To drive mass-scale cultural change and prevent gender-based violence, we must mobilize people and institutions, embedding individual behaviour shifts into broader systemic efforts.”
Kate Doyle, Senior Programme Fellow at Equimundo, spotlighted engaging men and boys. “A gender-transformative approach meets men where they are, equipping them with skills like communication, conflict resolution and positive parenting to shift harmful norms,” she said.
Tihrani Uluinakauvadra, Participation and Pathways Manager at Oceania Rugby, described how the Get into Rugby Plus programme integrates life skills and gender equality training into sports. “We need to scale up initiatives that empower young people to become agents of change for gender equality,” he emphasized. “Sports can be a powerful tool for promoting positive behaviour, challenging stereotypes and ultimately preventing violence against women.”
More than just a priority
Closing the event, Ratchada Jayagupta, Thailand’s Representative to the Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, called for a stepped-up commitment to prevention: “Preventing violence against women is not just a priority,” she reminded participants. “It is essential and urgent to stop violence before it happens.”
