AICHR Activity on Countering Online Harms for Women and Children, 15 April 2026, Singapore

Singapore, 15 April 2026 – The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), in collaboration with SG Her Empowerment, convened an AICHR Activity on Countering Online Harms for Women and Children. Singapore’s Minister of State (MOS) at the Ministry of Digital Development and Information and the Ministry of Health, Rahayu Mahzam, was the Guest of Honour.

ASEAN is one of the fastest-growing internet regions in the world. While this has accelerated connectivity and empowered communities, the Internet has also led to the proliferation of online harms across platforms and jurisdictions, with women and children being disproportionately affected by these harms. This AICHR Activity was convened to facilitate dialogue on possible regional responses to this challenge.

The Activity began with a call by the AICHR Representatives/Alternate Representatives on MOS Rahayu with an exchange of views on areas of improvement in the implementation of existing policies in various ASEAN Member States. In her keynote address, MOS Rahayu emphasised that online harms transcend borders, making it difficult for ASEAN Member States to address these challenges alone. She underscored that AICHR’s strength was in bringing together stakeholders from multiple domains for meaningful and constructive dialogue on how governments can better protect the vulnerable.

The Activity brought together over 50 participants from AICHR, ASEAN government officials, the ASEAN Secretariat, Singapore civil society organisations, and representatives from global technology companies based in Singapore. It provided a platform for participants to discuss and review various perspectives and country case studies on concerns such as the intersection of online and offline harms in intimate partner violence as well as online child sexual exploitation and abuse. The participants also discussed possible regional policy solutions and frameworks that could be implemented to counter online harms.

As part of the Activity, AICHR participants visited SHECARES and TikTok’s Transparency & Accountability Centre. At SHECARES, the participants were briefed on the holistic support provided to targets of online harms, particularly girls and women. At TikTok, the participants were introduced to the platform’s Trust & Safety practices, content moderation systems and recommendation algorithms.