Defending against gender backlash: Strategies of resilience in Southeast Asia

 

Women’s and LGBTQI+ groups have faced systematic harassment and violence as a direct consequence of their advocacy for gender equality. In an environment with growing threats to civic spaces, new knowledge, skills and alliances are needed to improve the safety and effectiveness of researchers’ and advocates’ efforts to promote gender equality.

This research seeks to strengthen the resilience of women’s and LGBTQI+ organizations in Southeast Asia, with a focus on Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand. It will develop insights from experiences of women’s and LGBTQI+ organizations through a comparative analysis of the four country case studies.

Collaboration with relevant stakeholders, within the focus countries and with international partners, will create a network to reduce isolation and provide support to those experiencing harassment and violence. The research will examine the drivers and strategies of backlash against these organizations and movements, consolidate successful responses and address capacity or knowledge gaps on strategic alliance building. The project will also advocate at national and international levels for better protections of these groups and their enhanced participation in civic spaces. Through the research and the process of bringing researchers together, this project aspires to cultivate safe spaces for women’s and LGBTQI+ organizations, as well as a solidarity network dedicated to championing gender equality.