In Asia: Weekly Insight and Features from Asia

Ahead of May 2013 midterm elections in the Philippines, media organizations and political parties signed last week the “Covenant Against Media Corruption 2013,” an agreement that marks a significant step toward curbing rampant corruption in the media.

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Yesterday, countries around the world marked International Migrants Day in recognition of the 214 million migrants on the move across the globe in search of better economic opportunity. No where is this recognition more important than in a place like Nepal…

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This week, 4,000 organizations across the globe mark the end of the annual 16-day campaign to end gender-based violence. Women in India, like many of the women represented by these organizations, are worse off than their male counterparts on most counts.

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This week, the Senate prepares to vote on House Bill No. 6052 which will lower the age of criminal liability in the nation from 15 to 12 years old. With the absence of a juvenile justice system, this means that children in conflict with the law…

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On November 25, Nepal’s government released a report on gender-based violence that revealed some disturbing findings:  nearly half of the women respondents have experienced violence in their lifetime. Launched by the Gender Empowerment and Coordination Unit (GECU) in the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) with support from The Asia Foundation [...]

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Malaysiakini, a trailblazing, online news service based in Kuala Lumpur and published in English, Malay, Chinese, and Tamil with an impressive readership of 2.5 million per month, has for more than a decade found a way around the country’s strict censorship policy by publishing only online.

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Despite the important role played by election commissions globally, there are presently no established baseline standards, or even studies clearly identifying better practices on the dissemination of information by these bodies. A new report, prepared by the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD)…

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Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived at Nicolau Lobato Airport in Timor-Leste. The plane sailed in low over pristine reefs with the U.S. flag on the tail of plane and lettered in white then neatly across the powdered blue body – “The United States of America.”

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While the arrest of Mongolia’s former president Nambar Enkhbayar on corruption charges has been dominating headlines, another quieter, but very significant event took place earlier this summer on June 28, when nine women won seats in the country’s parliamentary elections.

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In Nepal’s Chitwan District, a 40-year-old widow and mother of two was burnt alive by her family on Feb. 18, 2012. A local shaman and her family members had accused her of using witchcraft to make another family member sick.

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