Dr Zoe Bell1, Ms Queenie Tomaro2, Dr Helen Stenger3, Dr Phyu Phyu Oo2, Professor Bina D’Costa D’Costa5
1Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, 2Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, 3Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, 4Australia National University, Canberra, Australia, 5Australia National University, Canberra, Australia
Biography:
Phyu Phyu Oo is a Research Fellow at the Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEVAW) at Griffith University. She is a scholar and practitioner with over 15 years of expertise in public health, addressing gender-based and sexual violence in conflict zones across the Indo-Pacific.
Queenie Tomaro is a PhD candidate at the School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia. Her research focuses on women’s participation in Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) efforts in the Philippines. She is also a faculty member at the Department of Political Science, Mindanao State University – IIT, Philippines.
Zoe Bell is a research fellow based at ANU and part of the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence against Women. She is both a researcher and social worker with over 15 years of experience in child protection, domestic and family violence, forced migration, and community building. Zoe continues her social work practice by supporting refugee-led grassroots community building initiatives in Australia.
Bina D’Costa is an activist-scholar of global politics at home in classrooms and conflict zones alike. Bina is a Professor of International Relations, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University. Bina serves as a Chief Investigator on Australian Research Council initiatives and is an ARC Future Fellow on Displacement, Humanitarian Protection and Violence.
Helen Stenger is a Research Fellow at the Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEVAW) at Monash University. Her research interest lies at the intersection of extremism, including Islamist, far-right and Buddhist, and gender-based violence.
Abstract:
This roundtable explores the intersections between a wide range of state violence and violence against women in the Indo-Pacific, focusing on countries including the Philippines, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Australia. Through an engaging, conversational format, we examine how various forms of state violence—such as war, military coup, electoral violence, genocide, violent extremism, systemic oppression, and exclusionary legal frameworks— exacerbate gendered violence and continue to perpetuate systemic inequality, posing significant barriers to achieving gender equity and social justice.
Further underpinning the discussion is emphasising how systemic repression, militarisation, and institutionalised discrimination are forms of state violence and undermine efforts to achieve gender equality and a barrier to eliminating VAW. We examine structural oppression as a continuum form of state violence that reinforces patriarchal power, limits access to justice and poses significant barriers to achieving gender equity and social justice.
Drawing on the expertise of practitioners and researchers, the discussion highlights the importance of addressing these issues within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions), as well as the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda. As we explore the key issues and challenges to address the link between state-led violence and violence against women, the discussion seeks to contribute to the critical conversations on protecting women and safeguarding women’s rights and advancing a more peaceful, just, and equitable Indo-Pacific.