Girls' Advocacy Alliance ARO SUMMARY 
The Asia regional Girls Advocacy Alliance Program is implemented by the three alliance members (Plan, Terre des Hommes and ECPAT) in cooperation with regional civil society organisations and networks such as the Asia Development Bank, AIESEC, ASEAN (ACWC) and SAARC (SAIEVAC). The program started in January 2016, runs for five years and operates at the regional level of Asia and South East Asia. It aims to strengthen the capacity of these regional partners to advocate at their level for the effective implementation of regional treaties around child marriage, child trafficking, economic inclusion and decent work. The intervention strategies of lobby and advocacy, network and linking, capacity development support and research aim to generate greater awareness, willingness and capacity of the regional bodies to monitor member states’ compliance with the regional treaties. Girls and young women in Asia still face enormous challenges around issues related to child marriage, child trafficking, economic exclusion and Decent Work. Regional bodies such as the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the ASEAN/AEC and ADB have put in place policies of which most are mere tools on paper only. The GAA will lobby for the effective execution of laws and public policies that address GBV and (cross-border) labour exploitation national member states governments within SAARC and ASEAN and the corporate sector. Gender based violence, child marriages, child trafficking, economic exclusion happens at community and national levels. However, all these issues are increasingly happening across national borders therefore requiring a mix of national and regional interventions and remedies in order to prevent and curb their occurrences.

By supporting regional civil society organisations and strengthening their networks, advocacy efforts will become more effective. Well-coordinated advocacy campaigns ensure that gender based violence issues gain priority on the public and political agenda. Continuous civil society engagement and monitoring of policy commitments forces decision-makers at regional and national levels to translate commitments into actions plans, budgets, and improved service delivery.  Coordination between regional organisations with different expertise in gender based violence issues, involving women’s, girls, boys’ and men’s organisations and traditional and religious leaders will increase public awareness and norms change. 

Furthermore, the alliance members and their regional civil society partners will support regional bodies such as the SAARC, SAIEVAC, ASEAN/AEC, and ADB (EAC) in their efforts to improve harmonization of legal frameworks and policies and monitoring and accountability practices between member states governments represented within SAARC and ASEAN to address economic exclusion and reduction of GBV, specifically child marriage, trafficking of Asia’s girls and young women . Expansion of multinational corporate practices that prioritize decent work for young women in Asia. Increased capacity of regional civil society actors and networks to advocate and influence the regional bodies SAARC, ASEAN/AEC and ADB, respective governments, and corporate actors on policies, practices and legal frameworks for the prevention and reduction of GBV and economic exclusion of Asia’s girls and young women. The Alliance of partner organisation working on this project is made up of ECPAT, Plan International and Terre des Hommes.  Each of them is coming to the alliance with a range of strengths and different areas of expertise, thereby complementing each other.  Plan has expertise in the thematic areas of gender, child rights, ending child marriages, decent work, treaty reporting and civil society mobilisation, capacity strengthening and support.  Plan also has many years of experience of doing advocacy with regional bodies.  

Terre des Hommes has expertise in the thematic areas of child trafficking and CSEC and is currently implementing other programmes that include direct services which will be complementary to the advocacy element of this programme.  Terre des Hommes is experienced in capacity building of civil society partners on CSEC and child trafficking and working through civil society partners in the implementation of projects. The final beneficiaries of this program are girls and young women in the age group of 15 -24 years who will benefit from improved implementation of national laws and policies on child marriage, child trafficking, economic exclusion by Asian member states of SAARC, ASEAN/AEC and of regional economic communities such as AEC. A detailed advocacy action plan for 2018 is currently being developed.