De Dios appointed as women’s rights representative to ACWC

Professor Aurora “Oyie” Javate-De Dios took her oath as the Philippine women’s rights representative to the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children. (ACWC) on May 3, 2011. She was appointed by President Benigno Aquino III to the post on February 8.

The ACWC aims to uphold, promote, protect, respect and fulfill the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and children in the ASEAN. Depth of knowledge on the national, regional and international issues facing women, expertise in human rights, extensive experience in the promotion and implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) at the national and international levels and familiarity with the ASEAN human rights system were among the criteria for the selection of the representative.

De Dios was a former member of the Committee which reviews State parties progress reports on their compliance to international treaty, and the former Chairperson of the then National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (now Philippine Commission on Women). She is currently the Executive Director of the Women and Gender Institute (WAGI) of Miriam College, an Associate Professor in International Studies, and former dean in the same college. Active in the women’s NGO movement locally and internationally, she is the President of the Board of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women International and convener of CEDAW Watch Philippines, and the women NGO representative to the Interagency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT).

The PCW and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) actively participated in the establishment of the ACWC.