In a series of online posters with the hashtag #WomenPreventCOVID19, Malaysia's women's affairs ministry issued advice on how to avoid domestic conflicts during the partial lockdown. One of the campaign posters asked women to refrain from being "sarcastic" if they need help with household chores. The ministry also urged women to dress up and wear their makeup while working from home.
Women in Thailand have taken to social media to share stories of sexual harassment, angered at an official’s suggestion that they cover up to avoid being assaulted at a popular water festival. Using the hashtag #DontTellMeHowToDress, women have told how they were groped and harassed at Songkran in previous years. “This is the first time women are saying enough is enough,” said Thai-American model and TV host Cindy Bishop, who started the social media campaign.
Gender-based violence is emerging as one of the deadliest forms of violence in Asia and it has killed more women than armed conflicts in some parts of the region, an expert on conflict said on Friday, calling for more attention to the issue. Researcher Patrick Barron of the U.S.-based non-profit The Asia Foundation said a two-year study on conflicts and violence revealed violence against women in Asia has greater - and more deadly - impacts than previously thought.