Women have been at the forefront of the sustained resistance to stop the military coup and demand for democracy in Myanmar. Since 1 Feb 2021, when the military seized power, people from different communities and…
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Southeast Asia
This year, we are proud to be celebrating the 10th year of JASS’ annual regional campaign One Day, One Voice (ODOV), which aims to unite the initiatives of women across Southeast Asia around the 16…
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By Chantrea Koeut-Urgell I have been a feminist since before I even realized or understood what feminism meant—before I even heard what “feminism” was about. I am a proud feminist because I advocate for women’s…
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Written by Mikas Matsuzawa With President Donald Trump poised to pull the US out the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, a hard-won global commitment to reduce carbon emissions, many fear the consequences for vulnerable communities and…
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We chatted on Facebook the day before Maria Mustika died. We talked about the #DefendHer campaign of JASS (Just Associates), Global Fund for Women and MADRE. Maria volunteered to translate the #DefendHer messages into Indonesian…
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Four years ago, a young girl – Januba – from an impoverished family in a village in Tamilnadu, a province in the heart of southern India, finished middle school thanks to the determination and sacrifice…
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What drives indigenous Indonesian activist Pipi Supeni to fight for indigenous women’s rights? The prevailing discrimination towards indigenous women is at the top of her list of reasons. Indigenous women and indigenous peoples in general…
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Like many women of my generation, when I was younger, I never asked myself why women and girls live under the control of men. Or why women have less value than men in all aspects…
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Written by Noni Tuharea Have you ever heard of Seram Island? It is an island rich in natural resources located north of Ambon Island in Indonesia. Since 2003, Seram Island has been divided into three…
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It is worth examining how grassroots organizations and NGOs are faring in Cambodia three months after the approval of the controversial law on associations and non-government organizations (LANGO) by the Cambodian National Assembly. A little…
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Have you ever heard of Seram Island? It is located north of Ambon Island in Indonesia. Since 2003, Seram Island had been divided into three regencies: Central Maluku with Masohi as its capital, Eastern Seram…
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Two Indonesian women on death row in Saudi Arabia, 47-year-old Siti Binti Zaenab and 37-year-old Karni Medi Tarsim were executed recently. In November 1999, Siti Zaenab admitted to stabbing her female employer 18 times because…
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“Your event is against Islam and Indonesia’s constitution. We demand that you cancel the event, if not, we will.” – Anonymous SMS Sender For the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT) celebration on…
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Written by Sreymom Loem I have learned from my experience and I am going to encourage more women garment workers to stand up for our rights and power. Our rights have been gravely abused; women…
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We stand here right nowWe stand tall and proudWe stand on common ground Because we are not aloneBecause we are oneBecause we are home So don’t lay your head downNowBecause we must fight NowWe must…
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Written by Pin Marin I have long dreamed of living in a “prosperous” Cambodia – where everyone contributes to the country’s development, where women and men are active and equal participants, and where we finally…
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I got married at the height of the Cambodian peace rallies last year. During this time, the women’s groups in the peace rallies formed a volunteer paramedic team and I immediately joined. But, this decision…
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When I was 14 years old, I had a male friend – his name is Dede. People said he acted feminine. The boys in school used to make fun of him. A few boys –…
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Written by Julie Lun (Caing Ngaih Lwin) “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the whole world,” goes a popular saying honoring women. But why is it that there are so many women today who…
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I barely slept on the days following the elections. We in Forum Aktivis Perempuan Muda – Indonesia (FAMM-Indonesia) took part in various work related to the legislative elections of 9 April 2014 mainly to call…
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The first time I got my hand on computer, I wasn’t scared at all. Maybe it’s because as a 16-year-old, I was anxious to try something new. My parents encouraged me into “techie” stuff because…
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Why do men rape women? This is a simple question with a complex answer. My friends, relatives and colleagues – both men and women – often ask this question. Last year, Cambodians were put on…
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IGF is a UN multistakeholder forum to discuss on internet governance. As you may read from its website the event is “to support the United Nations Secretary-General in carrying out the mandate from the World…
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The young women of Cambodia stood in solidarity with women workers, particularly in the call for justice for the woman who died in a recent SL workers’ demonstration in Phnom Penh. “The Cambodian Young Women’s…
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November 20, 2013 — I will be traveling to Bangkok with hesitation. I had an email from Bytes for All, inviting me to represent JASS Southeast Asia about a discussion on the freedom of expression…
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“We can make it happen. People need to break the culture of silence. Women’s experiences on undergoing abortion are real and we only need to communicate these to the world. Art performances and film screenings…
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Written by Misty Lorin Online activism is popular in the Philippines because the mainstream media, usually owned by corporations, does not provide enough space for the people’s agenda. Through the internet, the people’s discontent and…
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“I really would like to be part of the First Aid Group. It makes me really proud because we can help Cambodians who need immediate medical attention in case violence erupts in the peace demonstrations.…
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Just like a saga, the recent media brouhaha on virginity testing for young girls in Indonesia proves that the discourse on this testing is far from over. In 2007, several students of Indramayu got involved…
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When Philippine President Benigno Aquino came into power in 2010, his electoral platform focused on eradicating graft and corruption in government voiced out in his “righteous road” speech. Now, apart from the recent “pork barrel”…
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The young women of Cambodia have come a long way. Almost four years after its groundbreaking formation, the JASS-inspired Cambodian Young Women’s Empowerment Network (CYWEN) is living up to its name – empowering young women…
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“No, I can’t write about myself! What should I write? I am embarrassed!” cried Swita, a 24-year-old activist. Swita works at Yayasan Harapan Ibu (Mother’s Hope Foundation) and organizes women sex workers in Jayapura, Papua…
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“Are writers born or made?” The young women activists of Indonesia have long resolved this classic Jack Kerouac question. The JASS-inspired organization Forum Aktivis Perempuan Muda – Indonesia (FAMM-Indonesia) or Young Indonesian Women Activists’ Forum…
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Women are wooed. Women are raped. Women are impregnated.Women are abducted. Women are raped. Women become mentally ill.Women are wrongly accused. Women are raped. Women get death threats.Women are raped. Women are raped. Women are…
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“Our lives are not dependent on our governments. Many governments actually fail to do their duty. They just leave the women and the people to struggle alone,” says Dina Lumbantobing of JASS Southeast Asia. In…
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“I’m willing to join more protest actions and even be detained every week just to get women’s and the people’s message across,” says Abigail Extremadura, a Filipino woman activist who was arrested in a demonstration…
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The Philippines has a strong nationalist movement and I grew up in this context. Movements and movement building are not novel concepts for me. The Filipino counterpart of movement is kilusan; I learned this word…
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One of my friends posted a question in her Facebook account about why there should be an International Women’s Day (IWD). For her, it is reflecting women’s dualism: women feel oppressed and at the same…
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In June 2008, JASS widened its movement-building institute in Southeast Asia, in line with its multiregional capacity-building initiative. This initiative, led by Indonesian activists Nani Zulminarni and Dina Lumbantobing, aimed at strengthening women’s leaderships and…
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“Sometimes it can be intentional. They do it for fun and then the girl alleges that it’s rape. Cases of teenage rape are sometimes the victims’ fault.” – Minister Mendikbud Nuh, Indonesia’s Education Minister…
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“For me, cancer is a rite of passage – from darkness to light, from sorrow to joy, from despair to hope, from confusion to enlightenment. Above all, from clinging to self-pride to warming up to…
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There is no need for a women’s rights movement in Malaysia. This recent pronouncement of Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has earned the ire of feminists and social activists in Malaysia. Ironically, Prime Minister…
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Young women activists are posting their comments on the “freedom wall” during a protest action in Manila. The women’s movement in the Philippines, along with social movements that have been actively campaigning to repeal the new anti-cybercrime…
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I love you not for your skin or how your hair done I love you not for your face or how you dress yourself I…
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It was a great opportunity to be part of an Asia Pacific level conference that is so reputable, particularly for my personal development. The experience allowed me to gain new knowledge and was a moment…
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How does a woman have sex with another woman? Can a transgender person change both their internal and external sexual organs? Why would a gay person marry someone of the opposite sex and have children…
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I’m in Cambodia this week getting to know the women of the Cambodian Young Women’s Empowerment Network (CYWEN) and their work around equipping young women with the confidence, information and skills needed to increase their…
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From 16th – 18th April, I joined over 300 participants from all over Southeast Asia and South Asia and beyond at CREA’s Count Me In! Conference in Kathmandu, Nepal. Count Me In! focuses on marginalized…
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My body used to be a strange thing. It’s a fragile yet a sacred monument full of myth, which I found out later is not the truth. In some cases the myth serve as the…
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JASS SEA women from Cambodia, East Timor, Malaysia, Philippines, and Indonesia are in Bandung, Indonesia for a regional political planning focused on strengthening and amplifying the alternative agendas produced by grassroots organizing and young feminist…
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JASS Board Member, Maria Victoria Raquiza, of the La Liga Policy Institute in the Philippines delivered these remarks to the High Level Plenary Meeting of the recent UN General Assembly on the Millenium Development Goals’…
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by Mikas Matsuzawa Recently, I attended the Beijing+15 Asia Pacific NGO Forum held at the Miriam College here in the Philippines. It was my first time to participate in such an event, and my first…
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The opening addresses of the Asia Pacific NGO Forum Beijing +15 emphasized the background of the conference and set the tone for the rest of the forum. The speakers recalled the previous AP NGO forum…
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By Kamilia Manaf, Institut Pelangi Perempuan (Indonesian Youth Lesbian Center) Sport is very helpful for the physical and mental health. Sport can reduce stress, anger and depression. Several people do sport for fun and hobby,…
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By Kamilia ManafInstitut Pelangi Perempuan (Indonesian Youth Lesbian Center) At the AWID Feminist Forum held on November 2008 in Cape Town,South Africa, on the fourth day of the conference, I attended aworkshop on homophobia organized…
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Pantsunburma shares her reflections at the JASS Crossregional Dialogue. I could learn experience sharing form difference region. JASS each regional group is come from different continent, background and political situation which make different contacts, approaches…
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Today i’m very happy because i’m attend one session about dancing the revolution. I am learning about how to make activities to fun. it’s great….that’s inspiring my self to make a good plan activities in…
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