According to SAMAJ, many existing laws fail to encompass the full spectrum of sexual violence and often perpetuate gender discrimination. Moreover, poor enforcement and systemic biases further impede survivors’ access to justice, leaving many cases unresolved.
In a concerted effort to combat pervasive sexual violence across South Asia, a newly formed coalition of seventeen civil society organizations, named South Asian Movement for Accessing Justice (SAMAJ), is urging immediate reforms and enhanced protections for survivors.
SAMAJ’s advocacy focuses on rectifying significant deficiencies in legal frameworks and policies that hinder justice for survivors of sexual violence. Highlighting the inadequacies in current laws across Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, the coalition stresses the urgent need for comprehensive legal reforms. These reforms aim to close protection gaps, address discriminatory provisions, and strengthen criminal justice systems to ensure perpetrators are held accountable.
According to SAMAJ, many existing laws fail to encompass the full spectrum of sexual violence and often perpetuate gender discrimination. Moreover, poor enforcement and systemic biases further impede survivors’ access to justice, leaving many cases unresolved.
The coalition emphasizes a multi-sectoral approach involving collaboration between governments, law enforcement agencies, healthcare providers, and educational institutions. This collaborative effort seeks to implement robust strategies that provide immediate support to survivors and prevent future incidents of sexual violence.
SAMAJ underscores the unique challenges faced by marginalized groups, including Indigenous communities, lower castes, persons with disabilities, and religious minorities, who often face compounded forms of discrimination. These communities are disproportionately affected by sexual violence and encounter additional barriers in accessing justice.
To achieve meaningful change, SAMAJ calls for strengthened legal protections aligned with international human rights standards and increased accountability through global conventions and treaties. The coalition aims to amplify the voices of survivors and advocate for survivor-led solutions, ensuring their experiences are central to policy and legal reforms.
Through unified regional advocacy and international engagement, SAMAJ seeks to drive systemic change and create safer communities where women and girls can live free from the threat of sexual violence.
Unified response
SAMAJ is championing a unified response to sexual violence in South Asia. Sabin Shrestha, Executive Director with Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD), in Nepal, explains, “We have always been together in our joint struggle for justice and equality. The creation of SAMAJ forms a common front against the endemic problem of sexual violence in the region.”
“This partnership demonstrates how deeply rooted we are to the idea of safe communities and empowered victims. Our many voices will resonate louder and as one, reinforcing, pushing ourselves, and bringing about meaningful changes. Our working together is a symbol of optimism, resilience, and an assurance for a safer world ahead.”
Shyamala Gomez, Executive Director at the Centre for Equality and Justice, in Sri Lanka, expands, “Member organisations of SAMAJ are coming together with a common goal – to advocate at international and regional level for strengthened criminal justice processes in our respective countries so that victim-survivors of sexual violence get justice and accountability. We need to act as a pressure group on our governments to take concrete measures to make this a reality.”
Working regionally, Equality Now’s Nawmi Naz Chowdhury concludes, “Anchored in cross-country learnings, SAMAJ will foster, sustain, and grow a South Asia-focused, civil society-led regional movement. The coalition will use collective action in evidence gathering, research, and advocacy to address legal and structural barriers faced by sexual violence survivors in their pursuit of justice, and to bring an end to sexual violence. “Connecting national-level advocacy with international human rights mechanisms, SAMAJ is a united regional voice and force that is determined to uphold the rights of women and girls to live a life free from sexual violence and to have equal protection under the law.”
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