2. A snapshot in time

The current state of the human rights of women and children

2.1As detailed in Chapter 1, the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade has conducted a number of inquiries in past parliaments which have investigated the human rights of women and children. Many of the themes identified in those inquiries were present in the current inquiry; the threats and violations of women and children’s rights around the world remain repugnant, ever-present, and pervasive.

2.2However, the world’s geopolitical environment has shifted in recent years, causing what is widely understood as a shift away from the pursuit of gender equality and universal human rights. Global disruptions have stymied and even reversed the progress achieved in safeguarding women and children’s rights, in unanticipated and complex ways.

2.3This chapter provides an outline of the current ‘state of play’ regarding the rights of women and children in the world of 2023. It sets out:

• The overall trajectory of human rights as observed by stakeholders, including the key human rights under threat;
• How these have been impacted by broader trends and events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and conflict;
• The current international law governing the rights of women and children and its intersection with Australian domestic law; and
• A broad overview of how Australian foreign policy currently responds to issues regarding the rights of women and children internationally.

A downward trajectory: Women and children’s rights in 2023

2.4There is a universal acceptance by stakeholders that the rights of women and children, far from improving, are internationally in regression. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) observed that the regression of women and children’s rights has been recognised by high-level international bodies such as the United Nations. Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr António Guterres, stated at the opening of the 63rd Session of the United Nations (UN) Commission on the Status of Women in March 2019 that:

Around the world, there is a pushback on women’s rights. That pushback is deep, pervasive and relentless… We have a fight on our hands. And it is a fight we must win – together.[1]

2.5This is reflected in the broader international relations and aid community. For instance, Save the Children’s Global Girlhood Report 2022 indicated that despite ten years’ passage since the introduction of the International Day of the Girl and the corresponding commitment by governments to improve girls’ wellbeing, progress has instead reversed.[2]

2.6Despite broad recognition that a cohesive approach is required to address inequality, the international community was argued to be fractured in their views and approaches to improving the rights of women and children. DFAT explained that in international fora such as the United Nations General Assembly, individual Member States have expressed opposition in matters relating to women and children’s rights:

Some Member States oppose references to gender and diversity, multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), sexual orientation and gender identity, and women human rights defenders. This opposition occurs in relation to debates and resolutions that focus on gender equality and those that address other issues, like poverty, security, and trade.[3]

2.7If current trends continue, the UN predicts that very few if any of the benchmarks set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in relation to gender equality will not be met by 2030:

With only seven years remaining, a mere 15.4 per cent of Goal 5 indicators with data are “on track”, 61.5 per cent are at a moderate distance and 23.1 per cent are far or very far off track from 2030 targets.

In many areas, progress has been too slow. At the current rate, it will take an estimated 300 years to end child marriage, 286 years to close gaps in legal protection and remove discriminatory laws, 140 years for women to be represented equally in positions of power and leadership in the workplace, and 47 years to achieve equal representation in national parliaments.[4]

2.8The UN suggests that reasons for continuing inaction on gender equality primarily relate to ‘[d]eeply rooted biases against women’, which have flow-on social, political and economic effects to the detriment of women and girls.[5]

The distinction between women’s rights and children’s rights

2.9While women and children share similar human rights, and thus similar violations of their human rights, it is important to reflect that they are distinct groups with differing needs and associated risks. Women and children were confirmed by multiple stakeholders to be particularly vulnerable groups who experience significant human rights violations. However, each group has unique needs and characteristics which shape their life progression. The International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) explained this point further:

It is important not to conflate the issues facing women with those facing children and young people, as they represent distinct and unique experiences. When treated as a single unit, there is a significant risk that women’s rights and agency are undermined through a paternalistic lens of “protection.” While protection is an important first step, especially where human rights are under attack and in conflict and crisis settings, it can play into a patriarchal model where women’s agency and autonomy is denied.[6]

2.10Children face specific forms of human rights violation linked to their developmental stages and consequential vulnerability. These include:

• Child sexual abuse and exploitation-related crimes, including trafficking and grooming;[7]
• Early and forced marriage, which is linked to marital rape and early pregnancy;[8]
• Lack of access to appropriate nutrition, healthcare or education;[9]
• Recruitment as child soldiers by armed forces and non-state armed groups;[10] and
• Involvement in exploitative schemes such as orphanage trafficking and tourism.[11]
  11. Many of these forms of human rights violation surpass state borders and require significant international cooperation to address. For example, child sexual exploitation involves a number of perpetrators, often from a range of jurisdictions, and is distributed via online channels, further extending the harm to transnational platforms.[12]

Amplifiers of the regression of women and children’s rights

2.12Recent events and trends in past years have been widely recognised by the international community to have significantly impacted the rights of women and children. Three key factors have been particularly identified as amplifying the regression of rights for women and children:

• COVID-19’s initial outbreak and its continuing influence on states and communities;
• Climate change’s increasingly evident impacts; and
• Conflict between nation-states.
  13. These factors are broadly recognised by stakeholders not only to have impacted women and children’s human rights but also to have had a disproportionate effect on these groups in comparison to others.[13]
  14. This section reviews how these factors have contributed to the decline in women and children’s rights.

The COVID-19 pandemic

2.15The widespread international impact of the outbreak of COVID is broadly recognised as a key amplifier of regressing human rights for women and children.

2.16The COVID pandemic has previously been viewed as a method in which authoritarian governments can further strengthen powers. As noted in a previous report of this Committee into the international response to the pandemic, human rights organisations raised concerns in 2020 that repressive governments were using COVID as a ‘cover … to erode civil liberties’.[14]

2.17DFAT observed that COVID had a disproportionate impact on the lives of women and children and ‘reversed the progress towards gender equality’.[15] While COVID unquestionably impacted all groups and communities, women and children bore a greater share of the negative impacts in comparison with men.

2.18DFAT stated that, in the Asia-Pacific region, direct human rights-related impacts on women and children relating to COVID-19 include:[16]

• Increased rates of gender-based violence, often as a result of social isolation due to COVID-related lockdowns, school closures, and social distancing requirements. DFAT observed that social isolation in particular increased risk in relation to sexual, domestic and family violence.
• Increases in specific practices, such as female genital mutilation, child, early and forced marriage, and consequential increased adolescent pregnancy.
• Vaccine access and vaccination rates, with women having lower rates of COVID vaccination compared to men.
• Higher rates of job loss in addition to increased unpaid working hours, often due to reduced employment opportunities due to COVID restrictions and caring responsibilities. Rates of workforce participation have yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels amongst women.
• Higher rates of girls and young women delaying their return to or ceasing their formal education due to the closure of schools or insufficient options to attend remotely.
  19. However, stakeholders observed that the COVID pandemic contributed to the regression of women and children’s rights in less direct ways. DFAT noted a range of areas where the rights of women and children had been affected indirectly, including:[17]
• Increased rates of online recruitment by traffickers during the pandemic;
• Disruption and closure of health services, particularly in relation to sexual and reproductive health; and
• Difficulties in accessing resources, including financial resources, aid and technology.
  20. Plan International Australia (Plan) expanded on the impact of COVID on women and children’s rights using the example of the increased incidence of child marriage. Plan noted that the rate of child marriage increases during times of conflict or crisis; an ‘additional 13 million child marriages [took] place that otherwise would not have occurred between 2020 and 2030’ which is attributed to the COVID pandemic.[18] This trend was primarily linked to the need for families to ‘marry off’ their daughters to reduce financial and resource burdens on the household or ensure their safety. Plan observed that, alternatively, girls may initiate marriage themselves in order to escape violence within their family home and secure their own access to resources.[19]
  21. Women and children with intersectional identities, such as those living with disability, also experienced new risks during the COVID pandemic in addition to existing ones being amplified.[20] People with disabilities were argued to be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 in relation to their health; as elucidated by CBM Australia and the Australian Disability and Development Consortium, people with disabilities experienced ‘higher rates of infection and death from COVID-19, less access to health care and information, worsened mental health and lack of involvement in response planning’.[21]
  22. Indigenous women and children around the world also faced additional and more complex barriers during the pandemic in comparison to men. The Indigenous People with Disabilities Global Network & International Disability Alliance (IPDGNIDA) explained that women and children in Latin America and Africa suffered from information poverty during the pandemic, not having access to key information in relation to the virus and related events. In these communities, women and children were also isolated in their homes and lacked support services to gain information and remain engaged with their local communities.[22]
  23. The Australian Red Cross (the Red Cross), providing evidence observed from its international partners, stated that pre-existing inequalities and harms were extremified by the pandemic. The Red Cross pointed to sexual and gender-based violence as an example of this trend, observing that there were widespread and significant increases in the reports of sexual and gender-based violence during the pandemic.[23] This was coupled with reduced field presence by humanitarian actors and reduced services responding to sexual and gender-based violence, which resulted in victim/survivors having limited access to support.[24] The Red Cross illustrated this point with examples from the international community, noting that ‘In Asia, for example, reports to police of violence increased by 30 percent, and reports to family violence hotlines increased by 137 percent in Singapore and 150 percent in Samoa’.[25]

Climate change

2.24As the impacts of climate change are increasingly felt across the world, stakeholders observed that women and children disproportionately experience the consequences. DFAT explained that women and girls in particular, as some of the groups in society who experience structural disadvantage, are impacted by climate change disproportionately:

As women and girls are subjected to systemic discrimination and intersecting inequalities, they are disproportionately affected by disasters and climate change, including exclusion from decision-making processes and leadership roles. Women are more likely to be killed by disasters, than are men. Women and girls who survive bear a greater workload, than do men and boys, in obtaining clean water, fuel and food, as well as meeting the health and wellbeing needs of household and community members. The increase in unpaid care and domestic work can mean that girls miss or drop out of school and women do not benefit from livelihood opportunities during recovery. Rates of food insecurity are higher among women and girls, than men and boys.[26]

2.25Submitters put the view that climate change is intensifying inequality in societies with traditional views of the role of women. Caroline Porteous, Kath Marsh and Dr Naomi Joy Godden from the Centre for People, Place and Planet, Edith Cowan University (Edith Cowan University) suggested that women’s traditional roles linked to their gender (such as carers, food production and distribution, and custodians of traditional practices) can be placed under heightened demand in changing environments.[27] They explained that climate change impacts women and children in profound ways. They stated that this could be felt directly (such as displacement due to natural disaster) or indirectly (such as experiencing water insecurity due to decreased rainfall).[28] This was highlighted in reference to the health impacts of climate change, which Porteous, Marsh and Godden argued were significantly more likely to affect women and children:

Social and cultural norms mean women are more likely to experience famine and poverty, making them more susceptible to malnutrition and subsequent diseases (Dimitrov, 2019). Due to their increased risk of poverty, women are more likely to reside in substandard accommodation or slums where disease is more likely to occur due to poor sanitation (Abid, 2018). Women are also more likely be in contact with waste, either directly or indirectly by working in contaminated environments, again making them more susceptible to disease (Abid, 2018). UNICEF (2021) notes that approximately 90% of the climate change associated global burden of disease is borne by children aged under 5 years old.[29]

2.26They also note that the mental health effects of climate change significantly impact on children due to their ‘immature development and adaptive capacity, sensitivity, and dependence on adults’.[30]

2.27Porteous, Marsh and Godden pointed to the following findings from the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development’s climate justice program, identifying the following impacts on women which are connected to climate change:[31]

• Malnutrition-caused health issues (including body/stomach pains, menstrual irregularity and eye health problems) due to decreased agricultural production and increased poverty in parts of India;
• Lack of appropriate medical facilities for women (particularly displaced Indigenous groups) in Myanmar and India;
• The introduction of previously absent diseases in Pakistan, such as tuberculosis, malaria and hepatitis, particularly in pregnant women and children; and
• Health conditions associated with natural disasters, such as stomach ailments and respiratory and skin diseases as a result of frequent cyclones and increased salinity in parts of Bangladesh.
  28. Access to education for women and children has also been linked to climate change. Lack of access can be due to a range of broader issues, including disruption resulting from natural disaster, workforce participation for children, forced marriage, and resource diversion.[32]

Conflict and crisis

2.29Women and children have long been recognised as experiencing war, conflict and crisis through the prism of pre-existing inequities, resulting in unique risks and challenges. This situation applies particularly to women as either victims or community leaders in conflict situations. However, some witnesses suggested that the situation of women and children is deteriorating even in the context of conflict situations.[33] DFAT noted that women and children face the following challenges in the context of war, conflict and crisis:[34]

• Sexual and gender-based violence in the context of war and conflict, including forms of violence such as rape, sexual slavery, forced pregnancy, trafficking and intentional spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
• Closure of social services such as medical and educational facilities, resulting in restriction of movement.
• Unequal representation in peace negotiations and recovery management, with most participants generally tending to be men and thus lacking insight into the needs of particular groups in society.
• Barriers in accessing justice, including discriminatory legal systems and insufficient victim-survivor support services.
  30. DFAT highlighted regions such as Afghanistan, Ukraine and Myanmar as sites where human rights breaches have been reported within the context of conflict zones.[35]
  31. The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) confirmed DFAT’s observations, noting that women and their human rights are being ‘impacted by social norms and systems of power that perpetrate marginalisation and inequality for women and people of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression’.[36] This was argued to be heightened during times of crisis and emergency, such as natural disaster and conflict situations.
  32. Emergency scenarios increase the threat of gender-specific human rights violations, such as gender-based violence and harassment, forced marriage and human trafficking.[37] Plan International Australia confirmed this finding, highlighting the strong correlation between rates of child marriage and situations of humanitarian crisis, observing that countries with high child marriage statistics also tend to be among the most unstable.[38] ACFID noted that this trend had been seen in the Taliban’s recent return to power in Afghanistan, causing a humanitarian crisis which resulted in a spike in the rate of early and forced marriage.[39]
  33. Adolescent girls were argued to be particularly vulnerable in times of conflict and crisis. Plan International Australia outlined the human rights impacts on girls in such situations:

During times of humanitarian crisis, including in situations of armed conflict, girls experience unique risks and challenges distinct from those affecting younger children, boys and women; inter alia: large-scale exclusion from education; child, early and forced marriage; female genital mutilation; early pregnancy; period poverty; and sexual violence by family members and armed groups.[40]

The war in Ukraine

2.34The invasion of Ukraine in 2022 by the Russian Federation has raised concerns regarding human rights, with reports of Ukrainian authorities investigating almost 100,000reports of war crimes in relation to the invasion and commencing proceedings against 220 suspects in domestic courts.[41] In this context, the rights of women and children caught in the conflict have been reportedly breached. Allegations have been specifically raised in relation to:

• The forced deportation and adoption of Ukrainian children by Russians; and
• Accounts of sexual violence perpetrated by Russian military personnel against Ukrainian women, men and children.
  35. Allegations of Ukrainian children being forcibly deported and transferred from occupied areas of Ukraine into the Russian Federation have been substantiated by a range of international bodies. These actions have been judged to be conducted with the intention of permanently rehoming the Ukrainian children into Russian families. These allegations have been investigated by the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest warrants for war crimes for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova. Further, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe have investigated the matter which confirmed that a ‘large number’ of Ukrainian children have been subject to ‘numerous and overlapping’ human rights violations, including forced deportation, military training and targeted re-education.[42]
  36. In addition, DFAT noted reports of other human rights abuses relating specifically to children. These include instances of low-yield land mines being placed in areas in Ukraine where children are more likely to be exposed, such as playgrounds.[43]
  37. In relation to sexual violence against Ukrainian civilians, there have been reports alleging sexual violence directed at Ukrainian women, men and children by Russian military personnel. Allegations of sexual violence by Russian military personnel were documented early in the conflict, which have been subject to ongoing investigations. Such incidents include the torture and sexual violation of prisoners held in detention camps, and rape of Ukrainian civilians in the initial invasion.[44]
  38. While efforts remain ongoing to verify the allegations, there have been actions worldwide to condemn any instances of sexual violence amidst the conflict and respond to human rights issues alongside the Ukrainian government. For instance, a global coalition of aid organisations were said to be assisting the Ukrainian government with issues such as human trafficking.[45] In addition, at a recent Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court, Australia supported a side offence in relation to conflict-related sexual violence in relation to the Ukraine war.[46] The ICCC investigation remains ongoing.
  39. Other human rights issues impacting women were also raised in relation to the war. Ms Michelle Higelin, Executive Director of ActionAid Australia, explained that the conflict in Ukraine was prompting other human rights violations for women and children, including increased human trafficking due to the large number of people travelling across borders in risky situations.[47]

How does Australia currently support human rights internationally?

2.40This section provides an overview of the current international legal and strategic context as it relates to the rights of women and children, and how Australia responds to women and children’s human rights in foreign policy initiatives.

International law governing the rights of women and children

2.41As briefly detailed in Chapter 1, the key international human rights instrument is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which asserts the fundamental importance of human rights for all human beings and their critical role in promoting peace and security. Further, it provides a framework to monitor human rights abuses and encourage nation-states to make efforts to address any infringements on human rights.

2.42Australia is currently party to seven key international treaties or agreements relating to human rights:[48]

• the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)[49]
• the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
• the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
• the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
• the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT)
• the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and
• the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
  43. CEDAW is the central international agreement pertaining specifically to women’s human rights. A detailed overview of CEDAW was provided in the Committee’s previous report, Empowering Women and Girls.[50] Amongst the most pertinent features of CEDAW include requirements on state parties to:
• Eliminate discrimination against women, including implementing equality measures in legislation (Article 2);
• Take measures to eliminate trafficking and exploitation of women (Article 6);
• Ensure that women have equal opportunity with men in relation to political and public life, including participation in the formulation of policy (Article 7);
• Provide equal access to education (Article 10), employment (Article 11), and healthcare (Article 12); and
• Ensure equal access to marriage rights, including the principle of full and free consent to marriage (Article 16).
  44. In addition, Australia is a party to a number of Optional Protocols, including:

• the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights establishing an individual communication mechanism
• the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Aiming at the Abolition of the Death Penalty
• the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict
• the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography
• the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women establishing an individual communication mechanism
• the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities establishing an individual communication mechanism
• the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.[51]
  45. A full list of treaties and agreements pertaining to human rights for women was listed in Empowering Women and Children.[52]
  46. Other relevant international agreements, administered domestically by the Attorney-General’s Department, include:

• The 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and
• The 1996 Hague Convention on Jurisdiction, Applicable Law, Recognition, Enforcement and Cooperation in respect of Parental Responsibility and Measures for the Protection of Children.[53]
  47. In addition, Australia participates in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, a UN Human Rights Council peer-review which occurs once every five years. The last UPR national report was submitted by Australia in 2020, and national representatives participated at the subsequent dialogue in 2021.[54]

Sustainable Development Goals

2.48The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) form part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (the 2030 Agenda) which ‘provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future’.[55] The 2030Agenda was agreed to by all UN Member States as a replacement framework for the Millennium Development Goals, which drew to a close in 2015. In 2017, a United Nations General Assembly resolution was passed that resolved to identify measurable targets under each goal and markers to monitor progress.

2.49The SDGs comprise 17 goals with 169 specific targets for all nations to achieve in order to end poverty and inequality. Particular SDGs relevant to the human rights of women and children include:

• Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls (including ending all forms of discrimination for women and girls, eliminating all forms of violence against women, and ending harmful practices such as child, early and forced marriage and genital mutilation);
• Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages (including specific targets in relation to maternal mortality rates, preventable neonatal mortality, and access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services);
• Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (including specific targets which stipulate that all girls and boys are able to access and complete equitable primary and secondary education, equal access to higher education, and the elimination of gender disparities in education);
• Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries (including promoting the social and political inclusion of all peoples, and eliminating discriminatory laws);
• Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels (including the significant reduction of all forms of violence and related death rates, ending abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children);
• Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
  50. DFAT noted that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, agreed to in 2015, elucidated UN Member States’ commitment to women and girls’ human rights. Goal 5 in particular refers to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. includes specific targets relating to violence, unpaid care and work, leadership, sexual and reproductive health and other markers.[56]
  51. While Australia remains committed to the SDGs, the United Nations has indicated that the vast majority of Goal 5 indicators are unlikely to be met by 2030. According to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022 (the SDG Report 2022), progress on gender equality measures has stalled if not regressed:

Progress in many areas, including time spent on unpaid care and domestic work, decision-making regarding sexual and reproductive health, and gender-responsive budgeting, is falling behind. Women’s health services, already poorly funded, have faced major disruptions. Violence against women remains endemic. And despite women’s leadership in responding to COVID-19, they still trail men in securing the decision-making positions they deserve.[57]

2.52Further, the SDG Report 2022 observed that the regression in women’s rights, evident prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, had significantly deteriorated since, often due to resources being reallocated away from services for women and children.[58]

2.53DFAT indicated that there were signs of regression in states’ commitment to women and children’s rights in broader international forums. They explained:

In United Nations forums such as the Human Rights Council and General Assembly, gender equality and women’s rights commitments are questioned, with attempts to erase agreed language and restrict women’s and girls’ human rights and roles. Some Member States oppose references to gender and diversity, multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), sexual orientation and gender identity, and women human rights defenders. This opposition occurs in relation to debates and resolutions that focus on gender equality and those that address other issues, like poverty, security, and trade.[59]

Australia’s foreign policy response

2.54Australia responds to the human rights of women and children beyond its borders via a multilateral approach. DFAT explained that Australia’s human rights engagement in the international context is focused on three key areas:

• Multilateral engagement;
• International humanitarian and development assistance; and
• Cooperation with partners to respond to particular issues, including sexual and gender-based violence, women’s reproductive health, and responding to conflict and crisis.[60]
  55. Australia contributes to a range of multilateral forums in order to promote human rights for women and children, including:

…United Nations bodies (e.g. General Assembly, Human Rights Council, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Commission on the Status of Women), economic entities (e.g. APEC, G20, OECD, WTO), and regional groupings (e.g. ASEAN, IORA, PIF).[61]

2.56In advancing human rights across the world, DFAT stated that it works with a range of nation-states, including traditional and non-traditional allies in addition to civil society, in order to advocate Australia’s human rights agenda.[62] It emphasised the importance in particular of multilateral and bilateral partnerships in ‘advancing gender equality, with dialogues and cooperation promoting understanding, strengthening capacities, and informing plans to counter anti-rights movements’.[63]

2.57Australia supports a range of programs to assist its neighbours in relation to the human rights of women and children, including:[64]

• Pacific Women Lead, the regional gender program which focuses on women’s rights, leadership and enhancing equality efforts in the Pacific, and is funded for $170million from 2021 to 2026;
• Partnerships for Recovery, aimed at addressing the negative effects of the COVID pandemic on vulnerable groups, particularly women and girls in the Indo-Pacific region;
• The Gender Equality Fund, which aims to enhance work in the aid program in relation to gender equality and women’s empowerment, which has had an earmarked fund of $65million per year since the 2021-2022 budget year;
• Participation in regional and bilateral projects and partnerships aimed at ending gender-based violence via the development and humanitarian programs;
• Supporting UN Women, particularly in relation to gender-based violence, including providing funding since its establishment in 2010;
• Supporting initiatives to collect gender-related data, including UNFPA’s kNOwVAWdata program, which aims to measure violence against women in Asia and the Pacific, including providing training and support to enable neighbours to undertake their own studies;
• A range of economic empowerment projects, including Investing in Women (multi-country, primarily in Southeast Asia), Women’s World Banking (global organisation, operations primarily based in Southeast Asia); and
• The Women, Peace & Security Agenda, including Australia’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2021-2031.

Committee comment

2.58Across a range of policy areas, it is clear that the COVID pandemic had a significant detrimental impact on the rights of women and children globally. The Committee is concerned, however, that the regression of women and children’s rights during the pandemic will remain the ‘new normal’ without a concerted action from governments worldwide.

2.59The Committee also recognises that the pandemic served as a tool for repressive state actors to dismantle services and protections that serve the interests and rights of women and children. This situation presents a challenge in the context of international relations, one which the Committee judges as worthy of priority.

2.60International regulatory bodies and many nation-state counterparts have recently expressed renewed intention to address inequity, particularly in relation to gender, such as the United Nations’ call to renew and boost efforts in meeting the SDGs by 2030. The Committee strongly supports these initiatives and calls on the Australian Government and its allies to accelerate these efforts.

2.61The war in Ukraine raises significant concerns regarding human rights violations against women and children. However, while the Committee did not receive substantial evidence in relation to sexual violence relating to the conflict, it is evident that the ongoing effects of the war in Ukraine are yet to fully unfold. The Committee will continue to monitor developments, including the eventual findings of the ICCC, in relation to human rights impacts resulting from the war in Ukraine.

2.62The Committee recommends the Australian Government:

• Commit to accelerating action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in relation to women and children; and
• Create a roadmap identifying measures which can be taken in order to improve Australia’s performance in the SDGs and in assisting our strategic partners to meet goals under the framework.

Footnotes

[1]Cited in Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Submission 8, p. 3.

[2]Save the Children, Executive Summary – Global Girlhood Report 2022: Girls on the Frontline, 2022, https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/pdf/Global-Girlhood-Report-2022_Executive-Summary-English.pdf/, viewed 5 September 2023, p. 2.

[3]DFAT, Submission 8, p. 3.

[4]United Nations, The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023: Special edition – Towards a Rescue Plan for People and Planet, 2023, https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2023/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2023.pdf, viewed 12 September 2023, p. 22.

[5]UN Women and United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistics Division, Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals – The Gender Snapshot 2023, 2023, https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2023-09/progress-on-the-sustainable-development-goals-the-gender-snapshot-2023-en.pdf, viewed 12 September 2023, p. 12.

[6]International Women’s Development Agency, Submission 12, p. 1.

[7]ReThink Orphanages Australia, Submission 10, p. 3.

[8]DFAT, Submission 8, pages 3‑4.

[9]DFAT, Submission 8, p. 7.

[10]Embassy of Morocco, Submission 1, p. 6.

[11]ReThink Orphanages Australia, Submission 10, pages 1‑2.

[12]Australian Federal Police, Submission 37, pages 1‑2.

[13]DFAT, Submission 8, p. 5.

[14]International Women’s Development Agency cited in Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, Inquiry into the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for Australia’s foreign affairs, defence and trade, December 2020, p. 15.

[15]DFAT, Submission 8, p. 5.

[16]DFAT, Submission 8, p. 5.

[17]DFAT, Submission 8, pages 4‑5.

[18]Plan International Australia, Submission 22, p. 4.

[19]Plan International Australia, Submission 22, p. 4.

[20]DFAT, Submission 8, p. 6.

[21]CBM Australia and the Australian Disability and Development Consortium, Submission 18, p. 3.

[22]CBM Australia and the Australian Disability and Development Consortium, Submission 18 (Attachment 1), p. 9.

[23]Australian Red Cross, Submission 16, p. 6.

[24]Australian Red Cross, Submission 16, p. 6.

[25]Australian Red Cross, Submission 16, p. 6.

[26]DFAT, Submission 8, p. 6.

[27]Centre for People, Place and Planet, Edith Cowan University, Submission 24, pages 4‑5.

[28]Centre for People, Place and Planet, Edith Cowan University, Submission 24, p. 4.

[29]Centre for People, Place and Planet, Edith Cowan University, Submission 24, pages 4‑5.

[30]Palinkas and Wong cited in Centre for People, Place and Planet, Edith Cowan University, Submission 24, p. 5.

[31]Centre for People, Place and Planet, Edith Cowan University, Submission 24, pages 5‑6.

[32]Centre for People, Place and Planet, Edith Cowan University, Submission 24, p. 6.

[33]Ms Sarah Goulding, Assistant Secretary, Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion Branch, DFAT, Committee Hansard, Canberra, 24 March 2023, p. 1.

[34]DFAT, Submission 8, pages 6‑7.

[35]DFAT, Submission 8, p. 7.

[36]Australian Council for International Development, Submission 25, pages 2‑3.

[37]ACFID, Submission 25, p. 3.

[38]Plan International Australia, Submission 22, pages 3‑4.

[39]ACFID, Submission 25, p. 3.

[40]Plan International Australia, Submission 22, p. 2.

[41]Anthony Deutsch, ‘Torture, sexual violence commonly used by Russian forces in Ukraine, say experts’, Reuters, 2 August 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/torture-sexual-violence-commonly-used-by-russian-forces-ukraine-say-experts-2023-08-01/, viewed 25 October 2023.

[42]DFAT, Submission 8: 3, Answer to Question on Notice, p. 1.

[43]DFAT, Submission 8: 1, Answer to Question on Notice, p. 1.

[44]Liz Cookman, ‘’I just want justice’: Ukrainians struggle with hidden war crime of sexual violence’, The Guardian, 26 September 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/26/i-just-want-justice-ukrainians-struggle-with-hidden-war-of-sexual-violence, viewed 20 October 2023.

[45]Mrs Rebecca Nhep, Senior Technical Adviser, Better Care Network; and Co-Founder and Co-Chair, ReThink Orphanages Australia, Committee Hansard, Sydney, 12 April 2023, p. 35.

[46]Ms Marie-Charlotte McKenna, Assistant Secretary, International Law Branch, Legal Division, DFAT, Committee Hansard, Canberra, 24 March 2023, p. 5.

[47]Ms Michelle Higelin, Executive Director, ActionAid Australia, Committee Hansard, Sydney, 12 April 2023, p. 18.

[48]DFAT, International Human Rights System, undated, https://www.ag.gov.au/rights-and-protections/human-rights-and-anti-discrimination/international-human-rights-system, viewed 7 September 2023.

[49]Australia has two reservations to CEDAW in relation to women in the armed forces and the provision of paid maternity leave.

[50]Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT), ‘Empowering Women and Girls’, Parliament of Australia, 2015, pages 15‑16.

[51]Attorney-General’s Department (AGD), International Human Rights System, undated, https://www.ag.gov.au/rights-and-protections/human-rights-and-anti-discrimination/international-human-rights-system, viewed 7 September 2023.

[52]JSCFADT, Empowering Women and Girls, Parliament of Australia, 2015, pages 16‑18.

[53]AGD, Submission 35, p. 2.

[54]AGD, Australia’s Universal Periodic Review, undated, https://www.ag.gov.au/rights-and-protections/human-rights-and-anti-discrimination/international-human-rights-system, viewed 7 September 2023.

[55]United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, ‘The 17 Goals’, United Nations, https://sdgs.un.org/goals, viewed 8 October 2023.

[56]DFAT, Submission 8, p. 3.

[57]United Nations, The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022, https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2022/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2022.pdf, p. 38.

[58]United Nations, The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022, https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2022/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2022.pdf, p. 38.

[59]DFAT, Submission 8, p. 3.

[60]DFAT, Submission 8, pages 8‑10.

[61]DFAT, Submission 8, p. 7.

[62]DFAT, Submission 8, p. 7‑8.

[63]DFAT, Submission 8, p. 8.

[64]DFAT, ‘Australia’s international support for gender equality’, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, [no date] https://www.dfat.gov.au/international-relations/themes/gender-equality/Australias-international-support-for-gender-equality, viewed 25 October 2023.