Negotiating Culture: Intersection of Culture and Violence against Women in Asia Pacific

Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), in partnership with the National Centre Against Violence (NCAV) based in Mongolia, organised a consultation on 11-12 September, 2006 on 'Culture and Violence Against Women in Asia Pacific' with the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women.

The Consultation aimed to understand and articulate how, despite the fluidity and contestability of cultural norms, oppressive elements of culture, which invariably reflect and reinforce patriarchal power relations, gain dominant representation. The Consultation sought to strategise how a women's human rights agenda can be advanced in this context, providing effective strategies for both the women’s movement in Asia Pacific and for the UNSRVAW for inclusion in her recommendations to States and other actors.