KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 — The Asean Gender Outlook 2024 found that, across the region, men were more likely than women to disclose experiences of physical abuse.

The report showed that women were substantially more likely to report experiences of sexual violence at work, especially in Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

In Malaysia, 50 per cent women experience sexual violence while more than 50 per cent men experience physical violence, the report wrote.

"Migrant women, especially domestic workers and others living in the same household as their employers, are disproportionately at risk of sexual violence.

"Many migrant workers cannot make formal complaints to authorities, especially if their work is informal or their migratory status is unregistered,” the report wrote.

According to the report, the economic integration of Asean member states, encompassing the exchange of goods and the movement of people across borders, has led to increased migration.

The report said that in 2020, many women and men moved across borders within the region, seeking employment opportunities or for other reasons.

"Overall, the percentage of female migrants, including refugees, residing in the Asean region was lower than that of male migrants, except in Singapore and Thailand, where there were more female migrants,” the report wrote.

The report noted that when women and men migrate for work, their experiences in host countries often differ.

"Firstly, they may encounter different challenges in finding jobs.

"Employers typically prefer male migrant workers for low-pay, physically demanding and dangerous work.

"As a result, women migrants may eventually be discouraged from searching for work: in all countries across the region, labour force participation rates are higher for migrant men than migrant women,” the report said.

The nature of women’s and men’s jobs in host countries may further contribute to the distinct challenges they experience, the report added.

"In Thailand and Singapore, many migrant women are domestic workers, while migrant men work in construction or fishing (especially in Thailand).

"In Malaysia, migrant men typically work in construction, manufacturing and agriculture.

"The limited economic opportunities available to migrant workers coupled with intersectional discrimination (based on sex, nationality and other factors) make migrant women and men vulnerable to unsafe jobs,” the report wrote.

In the Asean region, violence in the workplace remains an issue in some settings, with an estimated 11 per cent of men and nine per cent of women, overall, reporting experiences of physical, psychological or sexual violence at some point in the past.

These rates likely underestimate actual experiences of violence, especially for migrant workers, who may refuse to disclose their experiences for fear of retaliation, job loss or deportation, the report said.

The above data is collected through a collaborative effort and partnership of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), Asean Committee on Women (ACW), Asean Secretariat and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).