Jakarta, IO – Since 1947, more than 38,000 people from over 170 countries have participated in Salzburg Global Seminars. Collectively, these alumni are known as “Salzburg Global Fellows”. The Asia Peace Innovators Forum, launched in 2020 with the Salzburg Global Fellows, brings together mid-career professionals to promote peace and reconciliation through initiatives across the region. The Forum recently convened for a virtual presentation gala, to share experiences of community-driven approaches and best practices at practical workshops, online and in both Salzburg and Asia.
Salzburg Global Seminar and The Nippon Foundation have now announced seven projects that will receive awards. Among selected projects are “Women’s Protection”, a program initiated by Nukila Evanty, Executive Director and Lecturer, Women Working Group (WWG), Veteran’s University of Jakarta, University of Mahendradatta, Bali, Indonesia.
Nukila Evanty, who recently joined the fellowship at the forum held in Salzburg, Austria, on June 14–18, 2023, chose to initiate a project that concentrates on women’s protection through a “Breaking Barriers: Mainstreaming Gender Programming for the Most Multiple Marginalized Women in Asia” initiative. As the most marginalized group within society, women are known to suffer weak or no protection.
Nukila was selected along with Rina Shahrullah from Indonesia, Watcharapon (Sia) Kukaewkasem from Thailand, and Raymond Hyma from Cambodia. They aim to promote women’s equality and economic resilience. “When women work, they have income, which will help to obtain welfare and happiness of women and their families, including their children. They will be financially independent and free from patriarchal dependence and norms that impoverish women,” explained Nukila to the Independent Observer.
As the Project Leader, Nukila and her other fellows chose the most disadvantaged group of marginalized women, based on the advocacy’s several findings and research, which demonstrates a lack of information obtained by women from this extremely marginalized group. The voices of these marginalized women tend to be more muted, which will impact the lack of women’s profiles in public spaces.
Nukila’s project will extend over one to two years, advocating for the most marginalized women, to find common problems, strengthen women’s voices in the public space and involve women in the economy.
Nukila leads other fellows from various countries with different initiatives. Indonesia focuses on coastal and indigenous women; Thailand on migrant women; and Cambodia is studying the case of stateless women. She explained that Southeast Asian countries must protect the most marginalized groups of women by eradicating stigmas, discrimination and violence against women in society.
