New Disability Inclusive Toolkit on EVAW to Benefit Stakeholders

A new toolkit was launched in Suva on 30 April 2015 to assist organisations in Fiji work more inclusively with women with disabilities when it comes to ending violence against women and girls. The toolkit has been developed by the Pacific Disability Forum (PDF) in partnership with the Fiji Disabled Persons Federation (FDPF). 
 
The “Toolkit on Eliminating Violence against Women and Girls with Disabilities in Fiji” will support ending violence against women (EVAW) organisations and partners in working with disabled persons’ organisations to ensure women and girls with disabilities are included in their programs and projects.
 
A study carried out in 2013 showed that 64 percent of women and girls in Fiji experience physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence in their lifetime, and global data shows that women and girls with disabilities are even more vulnerable.
 
PDF Chief Executive Officer Setareki Macanawai said: “We hope that this publication will assist EVAW organisations to better address violence against women and girls with disabilities and make prevention of violence against women a high priority. We must take a stand on this issue and speak up when inappropriate behaviour towards women and girls with disabilities occurs in the workplace, among families or in the immediate community.”
 
The Toolkit was launched by Australia's Ambassador for Women and Girls, Natasha Stott Despoja.
 
“In all our efforts to eliminate violence against women we must include measures to assist those with particular vulnerabilities, to encourage the participation and active involvement of those with a disability and to ensure their access to justice and support services. The Toolkit recognises that it is the responsibility of society as a whole to work with women and girls with disabilities to ensure their rights are realised,” said Ambassador Stott Despoja.
 
The Toolkit was developed with the support of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and UN Women, through the Pacific Regional Ending Violence Against Women Facility Fund, a UN Women project funded. 
 
The Toolkit has been designed to be as practical as possible and accessible for people from a range of backgrounds and experiences. It focuses heavily on group exercises, role plays, activities and case studies, with a final chapter centred on action planning for the inclusion of women and girls.

Article prepared by: Pacific Disability Forum and UN Women. A copy of the Toolkit  will soon be available on PDF's website. For more information visit: PDF’s website and Facebook and UN Women’s website and Facebook. 



Papua New Guinea Signs Second Pacific Women Country Plan

On 21 April 2015, the Australian Government and the Government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) formally agreed on PNG’s second country plan under Pacific Women.

Australia’s High Commissioner to PNG, HE Deborah Stokes, and PNG’s Minister for Religion, Youth and Community Development, Hon. Delilah Gore, marked the occasion at a signing ceremony at the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby.

Pacific Women’s support to gender equality in PNG is valued at AUD55 million over the next five years.

In her statement, the High Commissioner emphasised Pacific Women’s continued commitment to gender equality in PNG: “By increasing economic and leadership opportunities, and reducing violence against women and girls, we can help to reduce poverty and build a safer and prosperous PNG,” she said.

Minister Gore said: “This plan will help us further implement the Government’s National Policy for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality which was launched in 2011. We know that women are primary caretakers of the family and have a key role in improving our country’s economic development”.

Australia and PNG will support a coordinated response between government, non-government, the private sector and community organisations to improve women and girls’ lives.

The first Pacific Women PNG Country Plan (2012-2014) invested AUD7.8 million on gender equality initiatives in the country. Several of these activities are ongoing and will continue under the second Country Plan (2014-2019). Geographical areas targeted under the second country plan include: Eastern Highlands, Chimbu, Western Province, Central and National Capital District Commission, Morobe and Bougainville.

Article prepared by: DFAT, Port Moresby Post. A Country Plan Summary for the second Country Plan (2014-2019) will be available soon on Pacific Women's website. 



Channels of Hope Uses Religion as Catalyst for Change
 

Minister Counsellor Sue Connell discussing the Channels of Hope program with youths on the Weather Coast. Photo: DFAT, Honiara Post.

The rates of intimate partner violence against women in the Solomon Islands are among the highest in the Pacific. Solomon Islands is one of the 11 countries in the Pacific that have undertaken national violence against women prevalence research based on the survey approach developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), led by the United Nations Population Fund and supported by the Australian Government.

Studies indicate that this endemic behaviour has links to deeply held traditional values and Christian beliefs. A better understanding of these underlying values and beliefs is crucial for long-term violence prevention efforts and gender equity in the Solomon Islands.
 
Funded by the Australian Government through Pacific Women and implemented by World Vision, the Channels of Hope program is an innovative approach to facilitating the transformation of traditional values and beliefs around gender roles.  By using religion as the catalyst for change and by engaging influential village leaders such as chiefs, church, women and youth leaders, the program promotes awareness of the issue and provides support networks linking victims and perpetrators to service providers. The program also encourages community intervention when family violence occurs and educates people about promoting respect and value for women.
 
The biblical approach is relevant because Solomon Islanders often base their attitudes towards gender roles on the perception that Christian principles promote men as leaders, while women are helpers. Conversely, by reflecting on biblical references where Jesus himself portrays both the servant and leader, the project encourages men to also adopt such qualities, urging them to respect and help their women. The project also focuses on the issues of substance abuse and conflict resolution within communities.
 
The Channels of Hope program currently covers 30 communities in Temotu and Guadalcanal provinces. In April 2015 a team from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), led by Minister Counsellor Sue Connell, visited five communities in Guadalcanal Province in the Marau and Weather Coast regions. The aim of the monitoring visit was to get a first-hand sense of the programs successes and challenges from field based staff and village focal points.
 
During their visit the DFAT team received positive feedback from community members and were encouraged by stories of change.  Reports that some men are now participating in community activities and thereby reducing the burden of work undertaken by women were heartening.  Now in its third year of operation in the Solomon Islands, Channels of Hope is clearly having an effect on many lives.  A mid-term evaluation of the program, to be undertaken in June this year, will capture details of these changes while helping the program to overcome some of the inevitable challenges.

Article prepared by Kane Dysart, DFAT, Honiara Post.

 

Changing Minds, Changing Attitudes

Fiji Red Cross Society’s Health and Care Coordinator Marica Kepa, was amazed at the response the training on violence against women received in a village that was originally skeptical. Photo: UN Women/Ellie van Baaren.

When Fiji Red Cross Society’s Health and Care Coordinator, Marica Kepa, heard that Fiji Red Cross volunteers who were raising awareness and understanding of violence against women had been told they were not welcome in a particular village, she had no choice but to investigate.

It turned out that the villagers were unhappy that the training had only been held for women, and after listening to their concerns and being encouraged by the interest shown from the men to participate, Marica conducted the gender and violence against women training for the men in the village. What happened next was far from usual.  

“One of the exercises is we draw a tree and ask the participants to fill in the branches – the different types of violence – then the roots – the contributing factors to the violence – and finally the fruit – the consequences of the violence. When I did it in this village, it was the men who spoke up. They brought up things like physical violence, sexual violence, rape; they pointed to drinking grog as one of the contributing factors and then named consequences such as teenage pregnancy, getting HIV, getting sexually transmitted infections, divorce, jail…to me, that means the community is aware of what is happening.”

“One man stood up and said he was guilty of all these charges. He thought his role as a man meant that his wife should always do the cooking for him. When he goes out drinking grog, he expects her to heat up his meal as soon as he gets home despite the fact he knows she’s sleeping, she’s tired and that she needs rest because she’s been working the whole day. He was quite emotional about it; he was connecting those gender roles to the violence. It was really amazing. Every man in the room was moved by this. You could tell they all identified with it. The men were very open and apologised; the community and society expects them to be ‘the man’. Then we started talking about how they can help. To me, that was one of the breakthroughs.”

Fiji Red Cross Society is a grant recipient of UN Women’s Pacific Regional Ending Violence against Women Facility Fund (Pacific Fund), which is principally funded by the Australian Government. 

Article prepared by: UN Women. Find out more about the Fiji Red Cross Society’s work by visiting their website. 



Australia and Samoa Sign Gender Agreement


Front: Australian High Commissioner Sue Langford and Hon. Minister of Women, Community and Social Development Tolofuaivalelei Falemoe Leiataua flanked by officials present at the signing of the Gender Agreement.  From left standing, Australian High Commission Governance Program Manager, Auimatagi Bob Ale; MWCSD ACEO Louisa Apelu, UNDP Assistant Resident Representative Sala Georgina Bonin; UN Coordination Specialist Filifilia Iosefa; MWCSD Acting CEO Tifitifi Uitime Fetu. Photo: DFAT, Apia Post.

On 31 March 2015, the Governments of Australia and Samoa signed an agreement to cooperate on increasing women’s economic empowerment and participation in public life and decision making and to reduce gender based violence. 

A signing ceremony was led by the Hon. Minister for Women, Community and Social Development, Tolofuaivalelei Falemoe Leiataua and the Australian High Commissioner, Sue Langford.

Through Pacific Women, Australia is contributing AUD3.8 million over five years to support the Samoan Women Shaping Samoan Development Program. The Program will be coordinated and implemented by Samoa’s Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development (MWCSD). 

To complement this Program, Australia will also be providing direct funding of AUD500, 000 to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for a separate program aimed at increasing the political participation of women in Samoa. Through this partnership, Australia and Samoa will work together to create a positive impact on the lives of all women in Samoa.

Article prepared by: DFAT, Apia Post.