APPENDIX 2: APF Member countries as reported by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (2024) Sourced from: • Amnesty International: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol10/7200/2024/en/ • Human Rights Watch: https://www.hrw.org/ Table 4: Overview - Gender rights status report in APF member countries APF member Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch report findings (2024) Australia Discrimination against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples remained entrenched Bahrain The rights of people deprived of their liberty were violated, although reports of torture and other ill-treatment declined compared to previous years. In June, in a positive step, Bahrain annulled Article 353 of its Penal Code, which had allowed rapists to escape prosecution if they married their victims. There was no change to Article 4 of the Law on Bahraini Nationality, under which only men can pass on their Bahraini nationality to their children. Bangladesh Women in Bangladesh continue to have little recourse to seek protection or services or access justice for domestic violence. Bangladesh continues to have one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, with a https://www.unicef.org/media/108161/file/SOWC-2023-full-reportEnglish.pdf51% of girls married before 18, and has the shameful distinction of being one of the only countries in the world to have legalised child marriage in recent years. Women and girls face widespread sexual violence with little recourse and protection. While Bangladesh has taken important steps toward protecting hijras, authorities force them to undergo abusive medical examinations to legally recognize their gender identity. Same-sex conduct is criminalized in Bangladesh, and LGBT people continue to face harassment and violence with little protection from the police. Fiji Parliament repealed an amendment to the Electoral Act removing the requirement that women who wished to vote under their married name must first apply for their name to be changed on their birth certificate. Despite commitments by the new government to increase the representation of women in public office, women’s representation on State boards and commissions was unchanged from 2020 at 20%. Women held just 10% of parliamentary seats in 2023. Increased reports of rape recorded compared to 2022. Gender Baseline Assessment of NHRIs in the Asia Pacific region – July 2024 41