As part of the Regional Programme in Asia the Insitute organised a Blended learning Course on the Equal Status and Human Rights of Women in South East Asia for Academia and NHRIs in Southeast Asia. The course was held for the second year in a row, between May and December 2012.
The course has aimed to increase knowledge and skills among participants from academic institutions and NHRIs regarding the practical application of instruments and mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights of women and gender equality. The course has also provided opportunities for exchange of information, experiences and best practices related to course topics between participants from NHRI and Academic Institutions, as well as between countries in the region.
After a one-month online training in May and a week’s face-to-face workshop in June, follow-up projects were developed by participants, where knowledge from the course was put into practice at participants’ home institutions. On 6-8 December it was time to conclude this third and last component of the blended learning course through a workshop in Bangkok where the participants presented the results of their projects.
The aim of the follow-up projects was to deepen the learning experience regarding the practical application of acquired knowledge in the participants’ respective work, but also to pursue a positive institutional impact of individual learning. Projects have built on the tools, skills and areas provided in the first two components of the course, and have taken different forms, depending on specific personal (professional) and institutional priorities and interests. All participants had succeeded in carrying out impressive activities and their reports in the Bangkok workshop proved interesting and inspirational both for RWI and fellow participants, who rated the exchange and discussions in feed-back sessions as most beneficial for them professionally.
During the workshop, participants were also given the chance to visit the Thai National Human Rights Commission to learn about the Commission’s work on gender equality, and also to attend RWI sessions on national inquiries and on violence against women.
during the presentation of her follow up project.