The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about many significant challenges in the lives of those around the globe and affected the way we live and go about our daily lives and work.

For those living in the Pacific region, the case is no different. Re-adjustments as well as exploration of new strategies around how most of the work can continue to operate without much interference is vital.

For Ms Donna Marie Pune-Narai, who works as the Vanuatu Country Focal Officer for the Pacific Community (SPC) Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT), the challenges were doubled.
The Vanuatu Department of Women in consultation with Mia Rimmon, SPC’s Regional Director Melanesia, seconded Ms Narai to work closely with the government’s support team to provide on-ground assistance post TC Harold and Covid 19 recovery.

In addition to the trials brought about by the pandemic, the country had to deal with the aftermath of the Tropical Cyclone Harold that wreaked havoc in Vanuatu between 6 and 7 April and affected access to basic needs and essential services in some communities.

The Vanuatu President signed a declaration for a State of Emergency (SOE) on 26 March 2020 for the whole of Vanuatu for a two-week period to strengthen prevention and containment measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was later extended to a 30-day period on 11 April to continue COVID-19 prevention and containment measures as well as responding to rehabilitation efforts post TC Harold. The President further extended the SOE for another 30-day period on 11 May for the same purpose.

According to Ms Pune-Narai, this was an opportunity to reshape and realign her way of working in order to assist the government of Vanuatu in their recovery and relief efforts amidst the many restrictions imposed such as the closure of boarders restricting air travels, and social distancing measures limiting only five people in meetings.

She was part of the gender protection cluster led by the Department of Women’s Affairs under the host ministry to provide support to those affected by TC Harold over a two- week period.

“For the first time in my working career, I supported the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) based in Santo/Luganville where TC Harold hit and damaged more than thousands of properties,” Ms Pune-Narai stated.

Her workload as part of providing on-ground support post TC Harold included attending EOC meetings to provide daily response updates with each of the clusters, and supporting the lead cluster with clothes distribution via shipping services to Pentecost Island and other parts of Santo with the assistance of a sub-cluster.

During this period, Pune-Narai was tasked with visiting evacuation centres to handover stationery supplies, drafting distribution and awareness plans, providing training assistance to volunteers on Kobo Collect tool with the cluster lead for in-depth assessments in the Sanma Province, and assisting with volunteer briefings on dignity kits – to be distributed to women, pregnant women and girls in affected areas.

Further to these responsibilities, she held interviews with persons in charge of evacuation centres in Luganville to gather information around needs and challenges of households affected by TC Harold. This data was then shared with the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) in Luganville to plan out responses, and for use in the second phase of distribution.

Ms Pune-Narai also assisted the cluster lead with ration (food) packages for the team that went out to Big Bay Santo, West Coast Santo, Malo Island for in-depth assessment, and identified areas for in-depth assessments in Sanma province.

She shared that “there were challenges faced by the team including the gender protection cluster, on the ground during the response period as the island/ province affected is a big island and it took days for goods to reach people.”

She highlighted that the roads were blocked due to fallen trees, which affected accessibility so the team on the ground had to find ways to transport the supplies to the communities affected.
“We faced numerous challenges particularly to ensure that supplies reached vulnerable groups as this is what the gender protection cluster was responsible for – to advocate to ensure supplies be distributed fairly and priority given to vulnerable groups,” Ms Pune-Narai said.

In addition to this, Ms Pune-Narai added that there were delays in the distribution of aids and donations coming into Vanuatu from foreign countries like Australia and New Zealand.

“Because these aids needed to be put under quarantine for 14 days, what we’ve distributed was what the Vanuatu government had in stock at the time for disaster relief such as first aid kits, hygiene & dignity kits, tarpaulins, tents for temporary shelter, and food supplies particularly crops which came from other non-affected islands,” she said.

Despite the challenges, Ms Pune-Narai is grateful for the experiences encountered.

According to her, the recovery plans set up in approval and partnership with the NDMO benefited people in the communities as the government through the office of NDMO did their best to reach out to all people affected, alongside the support of all the clusters present on the ground like the gender protection cluster, food cluster and shelter cluster.

Ms Pune-Narai added that the global pandemic brought about its own set of trials for her as a focal officer but despite the change in work modes, she continued to move things forward and quickly adapted to new ways of working to assist her community and government to address some of the issues as a result of Covid -19 such as the increase in cases of domestic violence.

She shared that “All trainings and big meetings were put on hold. The two disasters really slowed down the work. Both these adverse events drained the energy, time and government budget to focus on response and relief efforts and the priority was to find ways to recover back and strengthen the economy,” she said.

“To move things forward, I would organise work meetings via skype, phone calls, emails, and try as much as possible to meet only two people per meeting. In some cases, I would carry out one-on-one meetings especially for RRRT’s Pacific People Advancing Change grantees on the ground and I am extremely glad that these new ways of working and communication worked out,” Ms Pune-Narai added.

Credit photo: ‘Vanuatu Daily Post’

Twenty young people from Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu have gathered in Port Vila to begin training under the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Secretariat and Pacific Community (SPC) Emerging Youth Leaders of Melanesia Programme.

The comprehensive training initiative, designed to develop strong youth leaders and equip them to lead development efforts, was opened today by the President of Vanuatu, H.E. President Baldwin Lonsdale, at the MSG Headquarters.

Also in attendance to witness the occasion were Vanuatu Members of Parliament, church leaders as well as representatives from the MSG Secretariat and SPC.

“At this critical moment in time when the Pacific island countries and the world are going through many challenges of any magnitude, we need a new brand of leadership who are responsible, ethical and God fearing young leaders of tomorrow to step in to lead their people free from the hardship,” President Baldwin said.

“It is my call to you young leaders to think seriously about the opportunities and be ready to rise up and to take up the challenges to ensure that your people’s desire and interest is addressed effectively and efficiently,” President Baldwin added.

Youth unemployment remains a critical issue for the region to address. Twenty percent of the Pacific’s 11 million people are 15 to 24 years old, of which approximately half are currently unemployed.

The Emerging Youth Leaders of Melanesia Programme will be conducted over a span of two years during which the selected youth leaders will participate in six, week-long workshops which will include practical sessions and visits to workplaces and agencies.

“This unique training opportunity aims to nurture our young and emerging leaders who will form part of the capacity building of future leadership within the MSG sub-region,” Melanesian Spearhead Group Secretariat Director-General, Amena Yauvoli, said.

“Participants will develop their own career plans, learn from each other and mentor other young people. They will also be given the opportunity to practice skills that are vital to succeeding in the workforce such as decision-making, communication, time and work management, innovation, and resilience among others,” Mr Yauvoli added.

A significant component of the training is also dedicated to learning more about the successful Solomon Islands Youth@Work programme model.

A recent three-year independent tracer study on Youth@Work indicates that around 39 percent of Solomon Islands youth who have participated in the programme since 2012 have secured further employment..

Last year, the programme achieved another milestone by being awarded a GBP 1 million grant from The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme.

“Investment in our youth is critical to the socio-economic development of all of our member states and territories and SPC is delighted to partner with the MSG Secretariat to produce a diverse and intensive training programme for the five large Melanesian countries,” SPC Regional Director, Melanesia, Mia Rimon, said.

“Youth@Work is a programme for youth, run by youth and to date has placed over 3500 young people in formal job internships and assisted another 5000 in entrepreneurship start-ups through the monthly Youth Markets and the Young Entrepreneurs Programme in Solomon Islands. We look forward to sharing our knowledge and experience with the selected participants so that this successful model can be adapted and implemented in other Pacific countries as well,” Ms Rimon added.

The first training at the MSG Headquarters concludes on 23 July.

Media contacts:

Mia Rimon, SPC Regional Director, Melanesia, [email protected] or + 678 730 8046
Lora Lini, MSG Executive Officer, Director General’s Office, [email protected]
Emmanuel Otti, Youth@Work Communications Officer, [email protected]
Lauren Robinson, SPC Media Relations, [email protected] or +679 923 6432

Useful links:

Pacific Community Youth@Work video
Youth@work Solomon islands Facebook page
Youth@Work
Melanesian Spearhead Group Secretariat

If there’s a lesson to learn from Vanuatu’s relief response following Tropical Cyclone Pam, it’s the inclusion of a gender perspective in disaster management from the very start, says Esron Marck Vano of Vanuatu’s Department of Women.

‘Disasters affect men and women differently and we need to understand the diverse needs and priorities of the various groups to be able to respond effectively to the realities on the ground. For Vanuatu, the initial rapid disaster assessment did not reflect everyone’s perspective hence the result was a blanket distribution of supplies’ reflects Mr Vano.

Mr Vano recalls that food packages consisted of rice, tinned fish, noodles, salt, sugar and crackers and were meant for the entire population not taking into account the specific needs of groups like children of ages 0-5 years and pregnant women.

16 Days – 16 Stories of Gender Progress in the Pacific is an initiative of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and The Pacific Community who are sharing stories of successful gender programs across the region and highlighting the regional policies that guide them.

The Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration has a specific priority on gender responsive government program and policies calls for gender issues to be considered across all sectors such as climate change and disaster response. Related commitments include the Ministerial Communiques and Pacific Women’s Triennial Outcomes.

The 2015 Pacific Regional MDGS Tracking Report Progress noted Vanuatu’s progress in this area as follows: finalised Gender Equality Policy and gender mainstreaming of sector policies such as climate change. Sex disaggregated data available for Census, Household Surveys and National Disability Survey.

A coalition of regional partners, including the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s Regional Rights Resource Team (SPC RRRT), UNDP Pacific Centre, Pacific Youth Council and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) will be convening a Youth and civil society dialogue to be held from the 23-27th of June in Nadi, Fiji.

SPC RRRT is pleased to invite one representative from Civil Society and one youth representative from each of the following Pacific Island Countries: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu

Download the conference announcement below for further details and the application form if you are interested to represent your country. Email us your completed form as soon as possible.

SPC_meeting_announcement_Regional_Youth_and_CSO_Dialogue_1.pdf

Tuesday 13 August 2013, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Suva, Fiji

Twenty-six representatives from government as well as non-governmental organisations in six Pacific Island countries are in Suva this week for a five-day regional workshop to develop concrete action plans to address high rates of violence against women in the region.

The workshop organised by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community Regional Rights Resource Team (SPC RRRT) in partnership with the UN Women Fiji Multi-country Office is part of the support provided to Pacific organisations that are recipients of grants from the UN Women Pacific Regional Facility Fund to Eliminate Violence against Women.

Speaking at the opening of the consultation, guest speaker Maha Muna, Gender Adviser with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Suva called on participants to remember youth in their campaigns and to ensure that interventions also focus on empowering young people as a vital way forward in ending the intergenerational cycle of violence in homes and communities in the region.

In highlighting examples of the high prevalence of violence amongst young people in the region, Ms Muna spoke of the findings of a 2010 United Nations Children’s Fund study, Understanding HIV and AIDS. The study reported that 38% of sexually active youth in Solomon Islands had experienced forced sex, with 20% reporting their first sexual encounter as forced. In Vanuatu, the study reported that 45% had experienced forced sex, with 36% reporting that their first sexual encounter had been forced, and in Kiribati, it reported that 43% of sexually active youth had experienced forced sex, with ongoing vulnerability for 79%, and that for 21% their first sexual encounter was forced.

Ms Muna also reaffirmed the findings of Family Health and Safety Studies in the region, supported by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and UNFPA in collaboration with SPC and national bureaus of statistics, which demonstrated high prevalence of violence against women in the Pacific, particularly in the context of intimate relationships. The recent research shows that 68% of ever-partnered women between the ages of 15 and 49 in Kiribati have experienced physical or sexual violence by a partner. The rates are 64% in Solomon Islands and 46% in Samoa.

Activities on the agenda for this week’s consultation include reviewing national country strategies and advocacy initiatives in addressing violence against women, enhancing capacities of the participants to effectively challenge discriminatory laws and practices in countries using a human rights based approach and developing two-year advocacy and action plans to address gender based violence in the countries.

Participants are government and civil society stakeholders from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. This consultation and work to support legislative change in addressing violence against women is supported by UN Women and AusAID.

For more information, please contact Jilda Shem, SPC RRRT Communications Officer on +679 330 5994 or email [email protected] or Olivia Owen, Inter-Agency Initiatives Coordinator on +679 330 1178 or email [email protected].

Monday 10 June 2013, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Suva, Fiji –

A four-day regional consultation on violence against women legislation in the Pacific, organised by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community Regional Rights Resources Team (SPC RRRT), is currently underway this week in Nadi, Fiji.

In her remarks at the opening ceremony of the consultation, guest speaker Shamina Ali, Coordinator of the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre, called for gender specific domestic violence laws in the Pacific as a vital way forward in addressing discrimination against women in the region.

A good example of gender specific domestic violence law, Ms Ali added, is India’s Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act of 2005. The act guarantees a women’s right to reside in the matrimonial or shared household, irrespective of whether she has any title or rights in the property.

Other presentations during the opening ceremony reaffirmed the findings of national surveys showing the high prevalence of violence against women in the Pacific. The recent research shows rates of 68% in Kiribati, 60% in Vanuatu, 64% in Solomon Islands, 46% in Samoa and 61% in Fiji.

Participants were also reminded that legislation is only one aspect of the work needed to address violence against women; it is equally important to ensure resources are available for the implementation of the laws and to monitor progress.

Activities on the agenda for this week’s consultation include reviewing legislation to address violence against women in the region and lessons learnt from national committees and consultations, sharing lessons on law reform strategies undertaken in countries and developing plans to progress legislative law reform in the Pacific.

This consultation is the 5th organised since 2009 and is part of SPC RRRT’s programme to develop and support comprehensive integrated legislation that addresses all forms of violence against women. The aim is to build capacity at the national level to advocate for improved legislation through the development of appropriate policy papers and comprehensive legislative reviews encompassing all aspects of legislative change that affect women suffering from violence.

The consultation this week is being attended by government and civil society stakeholders including legal drafters from Cook Islands, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. This consultation and work to support legislative change in addressing violence against women is supported by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).

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

Lay magistrates from Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu at the sub-regional lay magistrates' consultation on human rights, Novotel, Suva, Fiji

A five-day sub-regional lay magistrates’ consultation on human rights, organised by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community Regional Rights Resources Team (SPC RRRT), was officially opened yesterday at the Novotel Hotel in Suva, Fiji.  

Lay magistrates and court officers from Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu are attending the consultation.

The main objective of the consultation is to enhance the knowledge of participants on human rights law and to provide an opportunity for participants to consider and discuss their roles in protecting the human rights of vulnerable groups, such as women, children and persons with disabilities, and ensuring that they have full and effective access to justice.

The Honourable Mere Pulea, SPC RRRT consultant, opened the consultation, remarking, 'This is one initiative to help us out of the transitional phase to be human rights compliant and to set the benchmark for ourselves – the standards of access to justice that meet with international best practices.'

Mr Aru Fredington from Vanuatu , one of the participants, stated that this was the first training on human rights and the law he had attended, 'I work as the court clerk for Torba province, an isolated province in the northern part of Vanuatu, and my office is usually people’s first experience of the justice system when they come with their land problems, child maintenance cases and family protection order applications. I am really grateful to SPC RRRT for this opportunity to learn more about human rights and go back to provide services that are in line with international human rights standards.'

At the end of the consultation, it is anticipated that the participants will have increased their knowledge and skills in applying a human rights-based approach to access to justice and also their technical knowledge with respect to pending and recent national legislation aimed at combating violence against women.  In addition, they will have more knowledge of national efforts to protect and promote the rights of person with disabilities and will have explored how this knowledge can be expanded via a national training programme in 2014.The consultation is supported by the Government of Australia.

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

Joshko Wakaniyasi of IDEA – a programme advocating for jobs for persons with disabilities in mainstream employment in Fiji – will be a recipient of a 2013 Pacific Human Rights Award

Four organisations and two individuals from the region will be honoured with Pacific Human Rights Awards today.

The courageous and innovative individuals and organisations whose stories have been documented in various forms for this year’s theme – human rights in everyday Pacific life – will receive their awards at a ceremony at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, FBE conference room from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

This year’s awardees include Joshko Wakaniyasi, Director of Fiji’s Spinal Injury Association; Australia-Pacific Technical College (APTC); the Rainbow Theatre Group of Vanuatu; Teta Etau of Kiribati’s School for Disabled; Chelcia Gomese; and Rowena Wemahanua of Solomon Islands.

An excited Joshko Wakaniyasi, who will be receiving the award for outstanding contribution to advancing the rights of persons with disabilities to employment in Fiji through the IDEA Programme (Include Disability Employ this Ability), is ever grateful to the Regional Rights Resource Team of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community for the recognition of their work in Fiji.

Since taking the reigns of the Spinal Injury Association in 2007, Joshko Wakaniyasi transformed a struggling, cash-strapped organisation into an efficient provider of crucial medical supplies, equipment and support services for its members. His amiable yet determined approach when negotiating with private sponsors, donors and overseas charities has secured the delivery of seven shipments of wheelchairs, crutches, walking frames, toilet and shower chairs and other aids to support people with disabilities and their carers in Fiji.

The Pacific Human Rights Awards are presented biennially to reward and celebrate outstanding work in human rights in the region and are an opportunity not only to give public recognition to the achievements of the recipients, but also to send a clear message to human rights defenders region wide that the Pacific community is grateful for, and supports, their tireless efforts to promote human rights for all.

The awards are open to all Pacific Island nationals who have demonstrated a high degree of commitment to social justice and human rights, as well as having made significant contributions to human rights promotion or protection in their countries or the region through an extended period of dedicated work (paid or voluntary).

In 1998, SPC RRRT won the prestigious UNICEF Maurice Pate Award for its pioneering work in promoting human rights education for women and children in the Pacific. Since then, SPC RRRT has been offering the Pacific Human Rights Awards to encourage the development of a human rights culture that will protect the rights and promote the well-being of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups.

The Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT) is a programme under the Education, Training and Human Development Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).  RRRT provides training, technical support, policy and advocacy advice in human rights to promote social justice and good governance throughout the Pacific region.  RRRT receives core support from Australian Aid and additional project support from UN Women and other donor partners.

The 2013 awards include;

IDEA (Include Disability Employ this Ability) Program, Fiji

Outstanding contribution to advancing the rights of persons with disabilities through the IDEA Program in Fiji

APTC Australia-Pacific Technical College

Outstanding contribution to advancing the rights to housing and employment on Upolu Island, Samoa, after Cyclone Evan in 2012

Rainbow Theatre Group, Vanuatu

Outstanding contribution to advancing the rights of persons with disabilities in Vanuatu through theatre

Kiribati School for the Disabled

Outstanding contribution to advancing the rights of persons with disabilities at the School for the Disabled in Kiribati

Chelcia Gomese of Solomon Islands

Special recognition for highlighting the right to education through creative writing

Rowena Wemahanua of Solomon Islands

Special recognition for highlighting human rights through creative drawing

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

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