PACIFIC: Pacific Leaders Weak in Failing to Address Violence Against Women

Amnesty International has condemned the statement on violence against women in today's Pacific Islands Forum leaders' meeting communiqué as weak and disappointing.

Pacific Islands Forum leaders made a pledge one year ago to “eradicate sexual and gender-based violence,” but since then have done very little to address the epidemic.

However, in today's communiqué, Pacific leaders commended themselves for their action, yet the only achievement mentioned was a recommendation to set up a reference group at an unspecified future date.

Amnesty International wrote to each Pacific leader ahead of this year's Forum meeting, asking them how they were progressing on their pledge, but received no replies.

“It is not enough just to pay lip service to eradicating gender violence,” said Pacific researcher Apolosi Bose, who spoke at an Amnesty International press conference in Port Vila this morning, to coincide with the Pacific Island Forum Leaders' meeting.

“Violence against women is an issue of gender equality and human rights, not just of regional stability as it has been framed by the Forum.”

“Culture is often used as an excuse for inaction on this issue, but it is not a Pacific tradition to rape, torture, abuse or murder women and young girls,” said Apolosi Bose.

“No Pacific Island government will achieve the Millennium Development Goals or the aims of the Pacific Plan if it does not take responsibility for the violence being committed against its own female citizens. Solving this problem is at the heart of social and economic advancement in the Pacific region.”

Rates of violence against women in the Pacific are some of the highest in the world, which has a devastating impact not only on individual women, but on communities and the Pacific region as a whole.

There have been some steps taken in the last year by Forum members, such as the Solomon Islands approving its national policy to address gender equality and violence against women, and PNG appearing for the first time before the UN Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.

However, these are very small steps when considering the widespread and endemic nature of violence against women across the region.

“It is governments that bear the responsibility when a woman is beaten by her husband but then told by the police that it is a private, domestic matter. It is governments that have responsibility for every woman who is sexually assaulted, but has no emergency medical care or crisis accommodation to turn to,” said Apolosi Bose.

“Amnesty International calls on Pacific leaders to live up to their obligations under international law, and to start acting on their pledge to eradicate violence against women.”