APF member India Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch report findings (2024) Dalit, Adivasi and Kuki women continued to face high levels of violence and entrenched discrimination, with women and girls facing specific attacks on their right to bodily autonomy. Attacks on the right to freedom of religion particularly affected and further marginalized Muslim women and girls. The new Karnataka state government announced the decision to repeal the “anti-conversion law,” which contains undue restrictions on conversions, including for the purpose of marriage. However, the ban on wearing a hijab in schools and colleges in the state of Karnataka continued to remain in place, hindering the meaningful participation of women and girls in Indian society and impacting their access to education. Women, particularly in the informal sector, remain constrained by stigma, fear of retribution, and institutional barriers to justice. The Indian government has not ratified the ILO Violence and Harassment Convention, which it voted in favour of in 2019. In October, the Supreme Court declined to legalise same-sex marriages, instead accepting the government’s offer to set up a panel to consider granting certain benefits associated with marriage to same-sex couples. Indonesia Many areas of Indonesia continue to impose discriminatory dress codes on women and girls. In August, Indonesia’s National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) held its first hearing on mandatory dress regulations hearing from female students, teachers, and parents about bullying, expulsion or pressure to withdraw from school of those who refuse to wear the hijab. The provision in the criminal code banning sex outside of marriage is likely to deter rape victims, who are mostly women and girls, from reporting rapes and could lead to some rape victims being imprisoned if they are suspected of having engaged in consensual sex outside of marriage. Officials continued to target LGBT people. In July, advocates cancelled a regional gathering of LGBT activists in Jakarta in response to harassment and death threats from Muslim conservatives. Iraq Security forces continue to forcibly disappear men and boys, and the fate of thousands of Iraqis who were subjected to enforced disappearance in previous years remained unknown. The Iraqi parliament fails to criminalize domestic violence and to adequately protect women and girls from gender-based violence. Iraq’s Penal Code allows a husband to punish his wife, and parents to discipline their children using corporal punishment, and provide for a mitigated sentence for “honour killings.” The Penal Code also allows rapists to avoid prosecution by marrying their victim. Gender Baseline Assessment of NHRIs in the Asia Pacific region – July 2024 42