11 May 2021 – Despite current travel restrictions, AJAR and our partners continue to maintain strong networks to support each other virtually in the fight to end violence against women in the Asia-Pacific region. Together with our partners ACbit and FONGTIL, AJAR hosted a virtual exchange event to discuss approaches to end violence against women across the Asia-Pacific region.
Members of the Learning Consortium learned about therapeutic, legal, survivor-led, trauma-informed, community-based, advocacy, research, and economic (amongst other) approaches from 10 guest speakers representing CSOs plus women survivors centre to learn about diverse approaches in VAWG prevention work in other post-conflict contexts, and build networks across the South-South region. On May 5th-6th, the Learning Consortium held an exposure visit with five NGOs in the Pacific Islands with the aim to discuss approaches on ending violence against women. These five NGOs are Sista, CARE Vanuatu, Talitha Project from Tonga, Family Support Centre from Solomon Islands, and Bel Isi, PNG.
Facilitating the Pacific Virtual Exchange is Tegan Moloney. Tegan provides gender equality technical support to development and humanitarian programs with a focus on EVAWG. She has 20 years experience working with diverse organisations including in the Pacific, Indonesia, and Timor-Leste and recently spent three years as Gender Equality Program Manager for CARE Vanuatu.
On May 10th and 11th, the Learning Consortium held an exposure visit with five speakers in Sri Lanka with the aim to discuss approaches on ending violence against women. Facilitating the Sri Lanka Virtual Exchange is Sarala Emmanuel, a development practitioner and researcher based in Eastern Sri-Lanka. Her work has been with local women’s groups focussing on women’s right to development, responding to violence against women, responding to challenges of civil and political rights of communities living in conflict and post disaster contexts. She also has worked with psychosocial and child protection services for children at risk, especially documenting examples of good practice and conducting research on service gaps.