APF member Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch report findings (2024) Representatives and the Senate. In September, the senate majority leader said this was not a priority. Qatar Women continued to face discrimination in law and practice. The male guardianship system, which is incorporated into Qatari law, regulations, and practices, puts extensive restrictions on women’s abilities to make autonomous decisions about their lives. They must obtain permission, for example, from their male guardians to marry, study abroad on government scholarships, work in many government jobs, travel abroad until certain ages, and receive some forms of reproductive health care. The Family Law forbids husbands from hurting their wives, but Qatar does not have a law on domestic violence or measures to protect survivors and prosecute their abusers. LGBT people are arbitrarily arrested and treated poorly in detention, including cases of severe and repeated beatings, verbal abuse, and sexual harassment in police custody. Consensual same-sex relations is criminalised. LGBT people are under surveillance and arrested based on their online activity. All media is censured. Samoa Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch 2024 reports are silent on gender specific matters. Sri-Lanka Prevalence of violence, including sexual violence, against women. Low representation of women in politics. The impact of the economic crisis particularly impacting on women in lowpaid or insecure employment and faced increasing burdens within the home The Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act which governs marriage in the Muslim community, contains numerous provisions that violate the rights of women and girls - by allowing child marriage without setting any minimum age and does not require a woman or girl’s consent to be recorded before the registration of her marriage. Restrictive abortion laws impose long prison sentences for all abortions with exceptions only for saving a woman’s life. Planned legislative reforms to decriminalize consensual same-sex relations and to end child marriages within the Muslim community did not come to fruition. By law “Carnal intercourse against the order of nature” and “any act of gross indecency” is prohibited. “Cheating by personation,” is used by police to target transgender people. Thailand Regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights on November 2023, Cabinet approved in principle a draft law on marriage equality and said it would introduce the legislation into Parliament in December. Gender Baseline Assessment of NHRIs in the Asia Pacific region – July 2024 47