The Pacific region has some of the highest rates of violence against women recorded in the world – twice the global average with an estimated two in every three Pacific women impacted by gender-based violence. Along with high rates of violence – a violation of human rights – women and girls in the Pacific region experience constant and continual inequalities including low levels of participation in decision making, limited economic opportunities, restricted access to basic services and rights.

The Pacific Partnership to End Violence Against Women and Girls

The Pacific Partnership to End Violence Against Women and Girls (Pacific Partnership) brings together governments, civil society organisations, communities and other partners to promote gender equality, prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG), and increase access to quality response services for survivors. To achieve this, the Pacific Partnership aims to transform the social norms that allow violence against women and girls to continue; to ensure survivors have access to quality response services; and to support national and regional institutions to meet their commitments to gender equality and prevention of violence against women and girls. Working through partners, it will promote equal rights and opportunities for all Pacific people, through innovative approaches to education, access to essential services, and policy development. 

The three key outcome areas follow:

OUTCOME 1: To enhance Pacific youth’s formal in-school and informal education on gender equality and prevention of violence against women and girls. This outcome is funded by the European Union (EU) and led by the Pacific Community (SPC). 

OUTCOME 2: To promote gender equitable social norms at individual and community levels to prevent violence against women and girls, and to ensure survivors have access to quality response services. This outcome is funded by the European Union (EU) and the governments of Australia and New Zealand with support from the UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office (MCO) that is also the coordinating agency.

OUTCOME 3: To empower national and regional civil society organisations (CSOs) to advocate, monitor and report on regional institutions and governments commitments to enhance gender equality and prevent violence against women and girls. This outcome is funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (Forum Secretariat).

The programme’s three outcome areas are led by SPC, UN Women and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

Social Citizenship Education programme

SPC’s Social Citizenship Education (SCE) programme corresponds to Outcome 1 of the Pacific Partnership to End Violence Against Women and Girls, mentioned above. SCE, which is funded by the European Union through the Pacific Partnership to End Violence Against Women and Girls, aims to enhance Pacific youth’s formal, in-school, and informal education on issues such as gender equality and prevention of violence against women and girls.

In Kiribati, SPC works with the Ministry of Education and the Kiribati Teachers College to train existing and future teachers on SCE values, including human rights, gender equality, and social inclusion, so that the programme can be rolled out in all primary and secondary schools. Some of these schools have now set up Mothers’ Clubs, and/or SCE clubs for students.