Overview
Across Asia, women and girls from marginalized communities, for example, Dalit women, face additional barriers to justice. Aside from sexual violence, women across Asia are often not valued as equals to men in their country’s laws and the practice of female genital mutilation occurs across some communities in the region, without laws against it.
Equality Now in Asia at a glance
Analyzing rape laws across South Asia. Our 2021 report, Sexual Violence in South Asia, found rape laws across South Asia are insufficient, inconsistent, and poorly enforced
Amplifying the voices of marginalized women and girls. Following our 2020 report, Justice Denied, we’ve continued to amplify the urgent conversation on caste-based sexual violence in India at national and international levels
Advocating for laws to protect girls and women. In 2009, we took on the case of a 15-year-old Pakistani girl who was raped by her father, getting the highest penalty under the law for the perpetrator in 2011. We used the case to advocate for a law against incest.
Achieving Legal Equality
Countries across the region have laws that treat people differently on the basis of sex.
Ending Sexual Exploitation
Online sexual exploitation and abuse is a growing issue for women and girls across the region
Ending Sexual Violence
Laws in some countries fail to criminalize marital rape or provide exceptions for perpetrators
Ending Harmful Practices
Female genital mutilation occurs across some communities in the region, with few countries explicitly criminalizing the practice, and girls are also at risk of child marriage across the region.
Our work
Equality Now works with partners in the region, particularly in South Asia, to campaign for stronger laws and practices around sexual violence to ensure that women and girls, especially from the most marginalized groups, are fully protected from violence, supports activists working to end female genital mutilation, as well as working to end inequalities in the law.
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Key resources
Malaysia – Submission to the Committee on the Rights of the Child 100th Pre-Sessional Working Group, September 2025
Equality Now joined Advocates for Non-discrimination and Access to Knowledge (ANAK), Association of Family Support & Welfare Selangor & KL …
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Sexual Violence in South Asia: Legal and Other Barriers to Justice for Survivors – 2024 Update
Our 2021 report, Sexual Violence in South Asia: Legal and Other Barriers to Justice, co-authored by Equality Now and Dignity Alliance International, analyzed gaps …
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Information on Singapore for Consideration by the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women at its 88th Session, May 2024
We respectfully present this report to supplement the sixth periodic report submitted by Singapore scheduled for …
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Countries
Equality Now works with partners across the region to hold governments accountable for protecting the rights of women and girls. Explore progress towards gender equality across the region.
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Stories
Hear from some of the incredible survivors and activists committed to raising their voices to make equality reality across Asia and the Pacific and around the world.
Deena and Charulatha – Nepal
A mother escapes an extremely violent and abusive relationship, but with no proof of paternity, her daughter is repeatedly denied approval for citizenship paperwork, ultimately leading them to take their case to the highest court in the land. Nepali law …
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Malaysian mothers challenging discriminatory citizenship laws
A group of Malaysian mothers with children born outside the country come together with a human rights group to push for a change in the discriminatory citizenship law that has cost them and their children so much. In …
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Ruchira Gupta expert interview – India
Ruchira Gupta is the Founder-President of Apne Aap Women Worldwide and Apne Aap International, India When the pandemic started in India, there were major social and economic changes with schools closing and lessons going online. Children …
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Dr. Debarati Halder expert interview – India
Dr. Debarati Halder is Managing Director, Centre for Cyber Victims Counselling, India I have observed an explosion in different types of online victimizations targeting women and children, and it is becoming very common. I have dealt …
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None of us can afford to sit back and wait for equality to arrive – we need to act now. Only by working together will we achieve the legal and systemic change needed to address violence and discrimination against women and girls.
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