It does this through the creation of a regional platform which brings together high-level (senior) government officials from ministries responsible for coordinating and/or implementing their country/state’s family protection/domestic violence (FP/DV) legislation. The platform enables information-sharing and discussions, strategizing, and development of regional initiatives to improve the implementation of FP/DV legislation at the national level. In doing so, encourage improved leadership in the region for effective FP/DV legislation implementation, and identifying solutions to address challenges the countries/states in implementing their respective legislation. 

The RWG was established in October 2018, as part of the “Regional Consultation on the Implementation of Domestic Violence Legislation: from Law to Practice”. The regional consultation was convened by the then Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT) of the Pacific Community (SPC). This meeting brought together Pacific Island Countries (PIC) and States which had legislation to address family/domestic violence, with representation from Government Ministries / Departments with the mandate to implement their country/state’s family protection and domestic violence (FP/DV) legislation. It reflected on progress, key challenges faced, lessons learned, and resources needed in advancing the implementation of the domestic violence legislation in the Pacific region. RRRT was invited to act as Secretariat for the RWG. 

Following its inaugural meeting in Fiji in May 2019, the RWG agreed to focus on three broad priority areas to inform its work – counselling, advisory committees/councils, and data collection and monitoring and evaluation. To facilitate the implementation of activities under each priority area, the RWG set up subcommittees with clear roles and responsibilities.

There is now a total of 14 members of the RWG which include representatives from the following governments: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia (national government), Kosrae and Pohnpei States, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Secretariat

The Human Rights and Social Development Division (HRSD) of the Pacific Community (SPC) is the Secretariat of the RWG. As the Secretariat, HRSD facilitates information sharing between members, coordinates RWG plans and activities, supports the RWG in convening its annual meetings, collects data to track countries’ progress over time with respect to the implementation of domestic violence legislation, financial management of the budget of the RWG, and leads fundraising efforts for the operation of the RWG and implementation of its plans.

In September 2020, RRRT merged with the Social Development Programme (SDP) to form the Human Rights and Social Development division. In 2022, the Pacific Women Lead Program (PWL) trasitioned to HRSD, amplifying the gender portfolio of SPC.