Wednesday 14 March 2013, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Suva, Fiji –

The Kiribati Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs (MISA) in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community Regional Rights Resource Team (SPC RRRT) facilitated a workshop for community representatives from 11 to 13 March in Tarawa to advance their knowledge and skills of advocating for improved legislation to address violence against women.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, the Honourable Attorney General of Kiribati, Titabu Tabane, said he was alarmed at the high rate of violence against women and children in Kiribati reported in the 2008 Kiribati family health and safety study.

He reaffirmed that violence against women in Kiribati must be addressed appropriately, and legislative reform is a key step in protecting women and children from all forms of abuse, violence, discrimination and exploitation.

Kiribati has prepared draft legislation entitled KIribati Te Rau N Te Mweenga Bill 2012, or the Family Peace Bill. The bill is expected to go before Kiribati's parliament this year. In preparation, national consultations to create awareness about the bill are required. MISA, with support from SPC RRRT, is undertaking to train community representatives for community consultations.

Speaking at the workshop, Gina Houng Lee, RRRT Senior Trainer, said, 'It's great to see Kiribati come this far. In 2011, the Government requested SPC RRRT to draft the violence against women legislation and, with support from AusAID and the Sexual and Gender based Violence (SGBV) Reference Group, the Family Peace Bill was drafted in 2012. This workshop focuses on educating community advocates on key provisions of the draft bill and supporting the development of practical strategies for community awareness about the bill.'

The Family Peace Bill provides instruction on measures to prevent and respond to domestic violence and on how government and its agencies, as well as service providers, can support victims and their dependents. It also includes several measures that are critical to holding offenders accountable.

The training is part of the SPC RRRT Project: Support to the Government of Kiribati to implement the national approach to support the elimination of sexual and gender-based violence in Kiribati: Policy and National Plan 2011–2012, Preparatory Phase, funded by UN Women. It is a result of a yet earlier project – Changing laws: protecting women and girls – undertaken by RRRT from 2009–2012 under the UN Trust Fund on Prevention of Violence Against Women grant. The project involved developing and building a task force of advocates and providing a set of drafting instructions on VAW legislation that is compliant with global human rights standards.

For more information, please contact Jilda Shem, SPC RRRT Communications Officer on +679 330 5994 or email [email protected]

Tuesday 12 February 2013, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Suva, Fiji –

Fifteen human rights trainers from the Pacific region have graduated with greater capacity in imparting knowledge and skills through professional training after an intensive two week training course conducted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community Regional Rights Resource Team (SPC-RRRT) in Suva, Fiji.

The training of trainers (ToT) course, facilitated by Trevor Kliese from Training Australia Unlimited, was an empowering experience, as the trainers increased their training skills in line with international standards. The ToT programme will assist not only trainers, but all others working in the area of capacity building, where the transfer of knowledge, skills and information is critical. This training was unique in that the skills component was complemented by the use of human rights topics.

The RRRT trainers who graduated from the course provide human rights training for government departments and civil society organisations throughout the Pacific region. This ToT training provides graduates with enhanced skills and techniques, leading to improved services and outcomes in SPC member countries.

Matakina Simii, a disability advocate in Tuvalu, is optimistic that she will put the knowledge she acquired from the ToT training to good use. One of her first priorities when she returns home will be to advocate through her training for the ratification of the Convention for the Rights of People with Disability, so that more children with disability can access education.

Commenting on the course, RRRT Country Focal Officer in Kiribati, Amberoti Nikora, who was previously a Member of Parliament in Kiribati, said he would have done better as a human rights advocate in Parliament if he had received this training during his time as MP.

Lepolo Taunila, RRRT Country Focal Officer in Tonga and a former Tongan Member of Parliament, expressed a similar sentiment, saying that the training has taught her the importance of good training preparation, sourcing the right facts to support her training and understanding adult learning principles in order to tailor training to meet the needs of her learners.

As part of the training, the recipients discussed contemporary human rights issues affecting Pacific Island nations, including violence against women, children's rights to education and health services, refugee rights, corruption and media freedom.

The ToT course was conducted from January 28 to February 8 and included participants from Fiji, Nauru, Tuvalu, Tonga, Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia. The training was generously supported by AusAID.

For more information, please contact Jilda Shem, SPC-RRRT Communications Officer on +679 330 5994 or email [email protected]

The Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT) is a programme of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community and provides training, technical support, and policy and advocacy services tailored specifically for the Pacific region. Based in Suva, Fiji, RRRT has programmes across the Pacific Islands, with partners including governments, regional and civil society organisations

Visit the SPC website: www.spc.int

2 October 2012, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Suva, Fiji -

Communities and groups within member countries of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) are making use of the resources offered by the SPC Legislative Lobbying Project.

The SPC Lobbying Project is a supported by the AusAID-funded Pacific Leadership Programme.

Ms Seema Naidu, SPC Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT), said that civil society groups in Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Tonga, Solomon Islands and Samoa are engaged in a variety of community-led projects that are heading towards legislative change within their countries.

Ms Naidu is a trainer responsible for coordinating the Legislative Lobbying Project.

For example, in Nauru, a group of people with disabilities are addressing the rights of the disabled, and Chiefs in Vanuatu are supporting gender equality and promoting human rights.

This ownership is assisted by the information RRRT and the Legislative Lobbying Project provide to communities about their countries' constitutions and the purpose that laws fulfill.

She said that, as an example, access to clean water may be a health and sanitation issue, an environmental issue, or a climate change issue, but underlying all of these is the issue of a fundamental human right.

'For example, Vanuatu is engaged in three campaigns. One is on the outdated sexual offence penal code, which brought together local communities, the Department of Women, the Police Department, the Vanuatu Law Reform Commission, as well as the NGO World Vision.

Secondly, the Trade Unions are cooperating to progress the Vanuatu Employment Relations Bill so that it becomes an Act. In the process, union representative Evelyn Barney focused, successfully, on increasing the minimum wage.

Thirdly, there is a campaign to amend the Peoples Representation Act, a legislative change that will ensure a certain number of reserved seats for women in Parliament.

Ms Naidu said that the project gives people in the participating countries the opportunity to enter into a dialogue with their parliamentarians.

Wednesday 29 August 2012, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Suva, Fiji –

Members of parliament in the Pacific have expressed alarm at the disturbing level of violence affecting women in the region. The Pacific has some of the highest rates of violence against women in the world.

Sitting MPs from Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu met in Brisbane last month to discuss the issue and demand responses.

Dame Carol Kidu, former leader of the opposition in PNG, who attended the meeting, said MPs 'were alarmed that the Pacific has the worst record globally for violence against women.

The meeting prompted fourteen MPs to write a letter in support of the UN Secretary-General's global UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign. They are hoping more Pacific Island MPs will take up the cause to address the high rates of domestic, sexual and other types of gender-based violence affecting women and children in the Pacific.

Studies conducted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have found that in Kiribati 68 per cent of women aged 15 – 49 have experienced physical and or sexual violence.

In Solomon Islands the figure was 64 per cent and in Samoa it was 41 per cent. These figures are considered indicative of the scale of the problem across the region.

MPs are increasingly affirming that they have a pivotal role in addressing the issue through supporting law reform in parliament. Many of the present laws relating to violence against women in Pacific Island nations are decades old and do a poor job of recognising and responding to this complex social problem.

The introduction of new laws that provide more comprehensive legal responses and remedies can have a big impact on reducing rates of violence and providing support services to those affected.

The members of parliament signing in support of the UN Secretary-General's UNiTE campaign and calling for increased action in the Pacific were the Honourable Nandie Glassie and Tangata Vavia from Cook Islands, the Honourable Paliknoa Welly and Joseph Uresemal from the Federated States of Micronesia, the Honourable Martin Tofinga from Kiribati, the Honourable Regina Mesebeluu from Palau, former Opposition Leader Dame Carol Kidu from Papua New Guinea, the Honourable Clay Forau Soalaoi, Peter Tom, Martin Sopage and Vasian Lonamei from Solomon Islands, the Honourable Faalesa Pitoi from Tuvalu, and current Speaker of the House, the Honourable Dunstan Hilton, and former Minister for Justice, Isabelle Kora, from Vanuatu.

The MPs want their action to act as a catalyst for increased political awareness and effort throughout the Pacific to better protect women and children and ensure their right to live free from violence.

Pacific Leaders have, through the 2009 Cairns Communiqué, acknowledged that violence against women is an impediment to Pacific societies. They recognised sexual and gender based violence as a sensitive issue in Pacific cultures and noted that it is pervasive and underreported.

Addressing the problem 'at all levels of the community' is a priority, according to Leaders.

In 2010 the Pacific Islands Forum Regional Security Committee established a Reference Group to Address Sexual and Gender Based Violence.

The Reference Group's mandate is to raise awareness and guide national efforts to meet Forum Leaders' commitment to eradicate sexual and gender based violence and to ensure all individuals have equal protection of the law and equal access to justice.

For more information, contact Daiana Buresova, Senior Human Rights Legal Policy Researcher, SPC Regional Rights Resource Team: [email protected] +679 330 5582

Friday 20 July 2012, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Brisbane, Australia –

Dame Carol Kidu, former Leader of the Opposition in Papua New Guinea stated that, "Pacific countries are fighting issues of commonality such as climate change and violence against women despite the diversity of culture and language in the region".

Dame Kidu's remarks opened the Regional Human Rights Consultation for Members of Parliament held in Brisbane this week.

Dame Kidu shared the challenges she encountered in implementing human rights approaches as a PNG parliamentarian and emphasised that legislative reform especially in human rights related issues demanded courage of the parliamentarians and sensitising of one's constituency of the relevant human rights issue.

Dame Kidu highlighted that, "globalisation poses a greater threat to the region than colonisation and therefore it is imperative that human rights standards are adhered to."

She relayed her experience as the former PNG Minister of Community Development in which she was instrumental in lobbying for the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child; adding that national ownership of such international treaties is vital.

Members of Parliament from the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Niue, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu are being exposed to critical human rights issues facing the Pacific region such as: climate change, sexual and gender based violence, national and regional human rights commissions, HIV and inclusivity of persons with disabilities at the 4th Pacific Consultation on Advancing Legislative Reform in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

The consultation is aimed at providing an opportunity for Pacific Parliamentarians to gain further information on, and discuss current and critical human rights issues in their national parliaments.

The week long consultation ended with a mock parliament in which regional Parliamentarians raised and debated human rights issues.

The consultation is currently underway at the Park Regis North Quay Hotel in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from 16 to 20 July 2012.

The annual consultation is facilitated by the SPC RRRT team in collaboration with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and in partnership with UN Women and the Asia Pacific Forum for National Human Rights Institutions.

The consultation is made possible thanks to the generous funding of AusAID.

For more information, contact Lionel Aingimea ([email protected])

PRESS RELEASE – Sept 2011

High Level representatives from the Justice, Health and Civil Society Organizations from Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu gather in Nadi to share their experience on human rights compliant HIV Policies and Laws.

The 3 days 'writeshop' (11-14 September, 2011) is organized by a partnership between the UNDP, UNAIDS, PIAF (Pacific Islands AIDS Foundation) and the Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC/RRRT).

The objective of the workshop is to provide support and technical assistance that is required to advance human rights compliant HIV legislative change by analysing the current legislative status per country, providing various models of legislative reform, looking at the rationale for human rights compliant legislative responses to address the spread of HIV and writing a policy papers to step up progress to legislative reform.

While most HIV interventions target individual behavioral change, it is equally important, if not more, that the norms and structures that shape these behaviours are addressed. There is extensive and longstanding evidence that strategic structural investments can contribute to 'break through' progress.

It is expected that the delegates will leave the 'writeshop' with a strategic plan to implement the policy framework which will work towards guiding the respective countries in their response to HIV.

Garry Wiseman, Manager of UNDP Pacific Centre in his opening remarks highlighted that "...some countries in the region have already passed human rights-based legislation to better address HIV and AIDS: PNG, FSM and more recently Fiji. Others are in the process to start drafting new HIV laws such as Tuvalu and Cook Islands; and some are starting to develop new policy framework to do. This week will be an opportunity to share lessons learned and help each other."

The event represents an opportunity for intra-regional cooperation on these issues and uses an interactive format to ensure countries gain maximum benefit from experience sharing.

The event includes the participation of people living with HIV who are taking an active role in the policy dialogue.

9 August 2011 (Tarawa, Kiribati) –

The Maneaba ni Maungatabu (Parliament) was a scene of intense debate and dialogue today as thirty Kiribati women – thirteen women from Tarawa and seventeen women from the outer islands – came together on the last day of the first ever Mock Parliament for Women held in the Kiribati, or in the Pacific.

At the closing debrief for the Mock Parliamentarians, the Speaker of the National Parliament of Kiribati, Hon Taomati Iuta, was very encouraging.

During today's session, the women on the Government benches faced Question Time in the morning, with questions ranging from issues such as the Government's policy on public transport for school children, to reserving seats for women in local and national elected bodies, to increasing the number of polling stations for voters in outer islands.

Ms Teewata Rokete, an Opposition MP in the Mock Parliament, questioned the Government on its policies for people with disabilities.

Following question time, Members discussed a motion put forward by Opposition Member Ms Tereti Tabutoa, urging the Government to focus on enacting and enforcing a specific domestic violence law.

Ms Tabutua's motion was unanimously passed by the House after an active debate from Members on both sides of the benches.

The last order of business was a debate on the passage of the proposed Youth Reproductive Health Rights Bill 2011, which proposed requiring free condoms to be provided in government primary and secondary schools and for sex education classes to be compulsory for students over 8 years of age.

Reflecting on the debate and the Mock parliament more broadly, Hon Ritite Tekiau, a Member of the Government side during the Mock Parliament and the real-life Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs, reflected,

MP Teburoro Tito, a current Member of the Opposition and a former President of Kiribati, was with the participants throughout the training to provide coaching on parliamentary practice. At the end of the meeting, he had high praise for the participants in his final debrief.

Kiribati will be holding national elections in the next few months. This initiative was designed to provide an opportunity for potential women candidates to develop and apply their public advocacy skills. It was also intended to encourage the broader community to reflect on the importance of electing more women into the Kiribati National Parliament.

The training and Mock Parliament for Women was spearheaded by the Kiribati Parliament and the Kiribati Department of Women. It was supported by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the United Nations Development Programme, with some funding support provided by the Commonwealth Local Governance Forum (CLGF).

For further information contact: UNDP Communications Specialist Shobhna Decloitre on (679) 992 6396 or [email protected].

4 August 2011 (Tarawa, Kiribati) –

Thirteen women from Tarawa and seventeen women from the outer islands of Kiribati came together today at the Maneaba ni Maungatabu (Parliament) for a 3-day parliamentary training for potential candidates in advance of the imminent 2011 National Elections.

The training will be followed by a 2 day Mock Parliament for Women from 8-9 August, the first ever such initiative in the Pacific region.

In the Keynote Address, the Speaker of the National Parliament of Kiribati, Hon Taomati Iuta, told the participants:

Hon. Iuta encouraged the women participants to make the most of their opportunity to engage in the Mock Parliament.

The idea of a Mock Parliament for Women draws on the very positive experiences that have been reported from recent youth parliament forums, including the youth parliament held in Kiribati in early 2010. The idea was first raised in 2010, at a Forum Smaller Island States (SIS) Meeting on "Advancing Women's Participation in Decision Making Processes" where delegations endorsed the convening of a Mock Parliament for Women in their respective countries. Kiribati is the first country to pilot the concept in the region.

In the Pacific region, women are still very under-represented in national parliaments. Four countries have no women in Parliament (Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, FSM and Nauru) and five countries have only one woman in Parliament (Vanuatu, PNG, Tonga, Marshall Islands and Cook Islands). Kiribati currently has only 3 women in parliament out of the 44 elected seats in parliament.

The training and Mock Parliament for Women is being spearheaded by the Kiribati Parliament and the Kiribati Department of Women. It is supported by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

During the 3-day training, which will run from today, 4- 6 August participants will be trained on key parliamentary procedures, as well as substantive policy issues of relevance to the Kiribati people. The third day of training will then specifically focus on the upcoming elections, with sessions explaining the electoral processes, as well as training on campaigning and on engaging with the media. Participants will then get a chance to apply the knowledge they have gained during the Mock Parliament which will be run from 8-9 August.

Ms Charmaine Rodrigues, regional parliamentary specialist with the UNDP Pacific Centre in Suva, is working with Kiribati partners and Forum Secretariat to support this initiative.

During the 3-day training, Members of the current Kiribati Parliament have generously offered their time to participate as resource people so that women participants can learn from their experiences. The training has been designed to expose participants to the practical challenges of both campaigning and of parliamentary work – the end goal for successful candidates.

Kiribati will be holding national elections in the next few months. It is anticipated that this training will provide an initial opportunity for potential women candidates to develop their campaigning and public advocacy skills. It is an also an opportunity for the broader community to be encouraged to reflect on the importance of supporting the inclusion of more women in decision-making positions in Kiribati.

For further information contact: UNDP Communications Specialist Shobhna Decloitre on (679) 992 6396 or [email protected].

Friday 1st October 2010, Atebuka Kiribati

We have launched the findings of the Family Health and Safety Study and we now move into implementation of the follow up step and actions plans to address violence against women" said Depweh Kanono Secretary Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs (MISA). Mr Kanono made this statement at the closing of the three day national consultation on Law Reform to address violence against women.

Kiribati has a prevalence rate of 68% of violence against women highlighted in the Kiribati Family Health and Safety Study. The Co-ordinator of the Gender Based Violence Project in Kiribati, Ms Maere Tekanene shared the findings at the consultation and also shared the draft national action plan on Violence Against women.

The draft national action plan identifies the key component which includes access to justice for women as a priority objective. This includes a reform and review of the laws. One area highlighted at the workshop was the shortcoming of not having a specific definition of domestic violence. That is perpetrators are charged under the criminal assault provisions as there is no specific definition of domestic violence in the law.

Participants were able to review the Family Protection Act (FPA) of Vanuatu. The FPA which has a definition of violence against women and includes a legislative basis for a protection order if one has been subjected to violence is under threat of violence in the home.

The consultation is facilitated by the Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs and Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (RRRT/SPC). Participants included representative from women's organizations, the Police, the judiciary and government departments. The main aim of the consultation is to discuss a legal strategy on addressing violence against women.

RRRT/SPC Trainers Teretia Tokam and Gina Houng Lee discussed the strategy and advocacy plan of violence against women. RRRT consultant Ms Mere Pulea outlined the three approaches to law reform and the importance of a integrated comprehensive approach in addressing violence against women.

Funding for the activity is provided by the UN Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women.

For more information, please contact Depweh Kanono Secretary Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs (686) 21092 or Teretia Tokam (SPC/RRRT County Focal Officer on phone (686) 98684

Press Release – 15 December 2009

'Violence against women costs the Australian economy close to $8.1 billion per year,' said Queensland's Attorney General Hon.

Cameron Dick MP at the opening of an annual consultation with regional members of parliament in Brisbane, Australia held by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community's Regional Rights Resource Team (SPC / RRRT).

Twenty-five MPs from Tonga, Vanuatu, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Samoa, Tuvalu, Nauru and Kiribati attended this year's event, which focused on violence against women legislation.

The Attorney General stated that he was 'pleased that so many fellow parliamentarians from the Pacific Island countries have shown their commitment to improving the lives of Pacific people.' He made the comments in light of the recent data revealing extremely high prevalence rates of violence against women in the Pacific.

Both Kiribati and Solomon Islands were amongst the countries with the highest rates in a 17-country study by the World Health Organisation. In this study, only Ethiopia and Peru surpassed Kiribati and Solomon Islands in prevalence rates. PNG, Fiji Islands and Samoa have also been shown to have high prevalence rates in other studies.

In a conference room packed with members of parliament from nine Pacific countries, Queensland's Attorney General quoted the recent Cairns Communiqué in which Forum Leaders addressed the issue of sexual and gender-based violence and called for a range of measures to address it, including legal measures.

The Hon. Cameron Dick reiterated the stance taken by the Forum leaders by acknowledging that sexual and gender-based violence 'is now widely recognised as a risk to human security and a potential destabilising factor for communities and societies alike.'

The acknowledgment from Forum leaders is 'most welcome', he said because violence against women is a serious global problem that affects every country.

In 2006, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution calling on all member states and the United Nations system to intensify efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women. Such violence has compounding human rights implications; causing trauma to women, families and communities. Sexual and gender-based violence is both a symptom and a cause of gender inequality and discrimination.

The Minister of Justice from the Republic of Nauru, Hon. Matthew Batsiua, stated

The Hon. Cameron Dick once served as the Attorney General of Tuvalu and was quite proud of that fact. He jokingly said that

He also said that he was proud that Tuvalu was 'mixing it with the big guns in Copenhagen.' The consultation in Brisbane will also discuss human rights implications of climate change.

The members of parliament have a week to look at human rights issues, including violence against women and HIV legislation, the new compulsory Universal Periodic Review process and the potential of a regional human rights mechanism to serve the needs of Pacific Island governments and peoples.

The consultation is funded and supported by SPC / RRRT, the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAid), the New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID), the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Pacific Islands HIV and STI Response Fund.

The Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT) is a programme under the Social Resources Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. For more information regarding this event, please contact Gwen Philips at [email protected] or Imrana Jalal at [email protected].