imcsap.org – Until today, talks of sexuality and gender are considered taboo in the Asian context. Therefore, to break the gender stereotype concept, it’s essential to share this with our student members. 

IMCS Pax Romana Asia Pacific-Women Empowerment and Gender Equity Commission conducted a CLAP workshop on Gender Mainstreaming on March 10, 11, 17, & 18, 2023. 

The workshop was designed to attain the below criteria: 

1. Gender, Gender Equality, and Gender Mainstreaming
2. Gender and Development 
3. Issues and concerns experienced by women and children
4. Gender-based Violence

It is successfully done through online sessions and participated by youth from Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, and Kenya. An insightful workshop where students could share their points of view about gender issues in their community, such as gender stereotypes, gender violence, discrimination, and abuse. In the 4th day of workshops, participants learned the local and national laws, policies, and universal declarations relating to children and women’s rights, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). During this topic, each participant was allowed to share the existing laws, policies, and regulations about women’s rights protection in their country. At the same time, participants got insights on how to ensure these policies and laws are implemented and work well to address the needs of all citizens-women, men, girls, and boys.

As the workshop was participated by some young men, it became interesting as they shared their perspectives about the current and various women’s issues. At the end of the workshops,  based on their countries,  participants came up with an action plan to promote gender equality and protect women’s rights as IMCS student leaders. They also showed their support through photos with the hashtags like  #BeBrave #BeBold #EndGenderBasedViolence #Respect #KitaSama #StopViolation #GenderEquity