Globally, 1 in 3 women have experienced physical, sexual, psychological and other forms of violence.
In Asia and the Pacific region, the prevalence of violence against women and girls is disproportionately high, with some of the highest rates of violence.
Survivors face harsh realities when seeking protection under the formal justice system including harmful bias and stereotyping, lack of understanding of women and girls' legal rights, and inadequate institutional mechanisms to deal effectively with these specialized cases.
Our Impact
ADB's Law and Policy Reform program recognizes that fairness and equality for all is critical for achieving economic growth, reducing poverty, and supporting socially inclusive development. To help achieve these goals, we assist to enhance legal and policy frameworks and knowledge, skills, and institutional capacity of judiciaries, legal professionals, and survivor advocates in handling cases involving violence against women and girls (VAWG). We do this by:
Tailored, Culturally Relevant Evidence-Based Trainings on Cases Involving Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG)
Delivering customized capacity building programs for judges, magistrates, and prosecutors on violence against women and girls' laws and procedures, taking into account international good practices, stakeholders' consultations, social and cultural norms most relevant to VAWG, and focused group discussion to hear about challenges
Bridging the gap between the formal and informal justice sectors by working with community and religious leaders
Delivering trainings on harassment and bullying in the workplace
Specialized Mechanisms to Address VAWG Cases
Advising on design, establishment, and operationalization of VAWG courts or benches, as well as assisting with drafting related guidelines to be followed in VAWG cases
Assisting with drafting special court procedures to provide for more effective and faster adjudication of VAWG cases
Advising on improvements to court structural set-up, including strategic placement of dividers between survivors and defendants and safe place waiting rooms for children
Development of judicial certification programs to prepare groups of specialized judges to handle VAWG cases
Advising on establishing or updating related policies for judiciaries and courts
Knowledge Transfer through a Country-Driven Approach
Developing tailored knowledge tools such as bench books, handbooks, protocols, and/or guidelines on handling VAWG cases
Developing information videos and other materials on sensitively interviewing vulnerable and child witnesses
Producing champion videos of justice actors to amplify good practices and inspirational stories
Knowledge Sharing and Dialogue on VAWG Cases
Positive media campaign to empower women, girls, and men and raise legal literacy on VAWG cases
Convened the first-of-its-kind Asia-Pacific Conference on the Promotion of Gender-Responsive Judicial Systems which brought together justice sector actors and other stakeholders to discuss approaches to strengthening the formal justice systems’ responses to violence against women and girls
"This particular program on Gender Responsive Judicial Systems is probably one of the most important avenues that the Asian Development Bank and partners have pursued in their work with judiciaries in their region."
Honorable Chief Justice Antonio Herman Benjamin, National High Court of Brazil (STJ) and President of the Federal Justice Council; President of the Global Judicial Institute on the Environment
"I extend my respect to the entire team from ADB for providing support and technical assistance to the entire process…training in this area is extremely important...let us continue in the future with the support of our partners so we can better prepare ourselves as judges to work effectively and to provide better justice, especially to women and children."
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Office of the Public Defender of Timor-Leste (ODP) recently concluded specialized workshops in Bali, Indonesia, to strengthen the capacity of Timorese public defenders in handling gender-based violence (GBV) cases. Held in August 2025, the training equipped defenders with practical skills to balance the rights of survivors and the accused in sensitive and complex cases.
In partnership with Timorese police, ADB trained 119 police officers to improve the treatment of women and children participating in police investigations. ADB experts taught the proper use ADB-donated digital recorders, trauma-sensitive questioning, and applicable legal and socio-cultural protocols to the police officers, enabling them to obtain admissible testimony with the least amount of distress to survivors and witnesses. A key part of ADB’s broader support to justice-sector reform in Timor-Leste, this initiative aims to improve access to justice and safeguard vulnerable voices.
In these interviews, psychologists address the critical issues surrounding children in legal proceedings for offenses against women and children. Experts discuss the power imbalances that affect children's testimonies, the profound impact of witnessing domestic violence, and the complex reasons behind the silence of sexual assault victims. The interviews present valuable insights from a psychological perspective that can help build capacity for prosecuting offenses and responding to vulnerable populations.
On 3–16 March 2025, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) conducted a series of workshops based on Parts A and B of the Fiji Bench Book on Children for 108 Legal Aid Commission (LAC) lawyers.
Parts A and B of the Fiji Bench Book on Children serve as a guide for dealing with children coming before the courts in criminal proceedings, including child complainants and witnesses.
The handbook aims to strengthen the prosecution of gender-based violence (GBV) offenses by helping prosecutors, justice officials, law enforcement agents, and other stakeholders to investigate GBV and gather evidence, all while respecting the dignity of the victim and local cultural norms.
Globally, women are disproportionately impacted by climate change and disasters due to gender inequalities and limited opportunities to participate in decision-making processes. The report provides a conceptual framework and good practice guide to improve gender equality in this space based on international norms and examples of national laws.
The Court Companion on Gender-Based Violence Cases navigates international law and Pakistan's domestic legal framework for an analysis of applicable legal norms to make justice more accessible to victims of gender-based violence.
