Parliamentary Roundtable Addressing Violence Against Women in the Pacific: UN Programmes and Action

1. Parliamentary Roundtable �Addressing Violence Against Women in the Pacific:UN Programmes and Action Presented by Riet Groenen and Helen Brereton Parliament House, Canberra, 9 May 2011 1

2. � My husband is a very aggressive person. I am living in fear but I find it hard to leave him because I love him�� Respondent, Solomon Islands Family Health and Safety Study (2009) 2

3. Violence against women and girls (VAW): Widespread in Pacific Violation of human rights Manifestation of gender inequality Negative, long-term impact on women�s lives Affects families, communities and society at large Limited VAW awareness and action Governments to translate commitments into action Appropriate laws, policies, services and budgets required to address VAW 3 Violence Against Women in the Pacific

4. Reliable, national-representative VAW data required Informs decision-makers, urges them to take action to end VAW National representative VAW studies in Pacific: Three studies completed (UNFPA programme): Samoa, Solomon Islands and Kiribati Three studies ongoing (Tonga, Vanuatu and Fiji) Five additional studies (UNFPA programme) approved by AusAID Completed studies: high levels VAW by intimate partners Two in three Pacific women experienced physical and/or sexual violence from their partner during their life 4 Data on VAW

5. Intimate partner violence: most common form of VAW experienced Findings intimate partner violence: Kiribati, 68 percent women experienced physical and/or sexual violence by intimate partner; 64 percent in Solomon Islands; Samoa, 46 percent Women in Solomon Islands and Kiribati: experienced severe forms of physical violence (punching, kicking or use of weapon) by partners Solomon Islands, one in two women reported being raped by their partners. One out of three women in Kiribati reported rape; Samoa, one out of five women 5 Findings: National VAW studies Pacific

6. Sexual violence, including rape: very common in the Pacific Part of intimate partner violence; or perpetrated by others Child sexual abuse, including incest Sexual violence experienced by women and girls with disabilities During/after conflict and disasters Findings national VAW studies: Solomon Islands: 37 percent of women sexually abused under age 15 Kiribati, 19 percent of women reported child sexual abuse experiences Eighteen percent of women in the Solomon Islands reported non-partner sexual abuse (after 15 years of age), 10 percent in Kiribati 6 Sexual Violence

7. Since ICPD (1994): focus on women�s health (reproductive health and rights) Impact of VAW on women�s health well-documented VAW causes reproductive health problems (unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, sexually transmitted infections and HIV) Limited recognition in Pacific of women�s reproductive health and rights Few health workers address VAW; VAW protocols absent Health workers lack capacity to care for survivors, document injuries and collect evidence VAW not covered in medical curricula, nor in health policies In case of sexual violence: few health services provide emergency contraceptives and HIV and STI prevention Abortion laws restrictive: do not allow abortion, even in cases of rape or incest 7 VAW and Health in Pacific

8. VAW and DHS studies in Pacific show relationship between VAW and women�s health: 60 % of women (SI) and 40 % (KIR) reported their mental and/or physical health affected by violence Kiribati, 42 % women (partner violence experience) considered suicide (24 % Solomon Islands; 15 % in Samoa) Kiribati and Marshall Islands, 50 % women (partner violence experience) reported injuries as result; one third of the women in the Solomon Islands and slightly less in Samoa. 25 percent women reported to have been beaten during pregnancy (KIR), 11 % (SI), 8 % Tuvalu. One out of five of those had been punched or kicked in the abdomen while pregnant (KIR and SI) All studies: women (partner violence experience) had partners who stopped or tried to stop them using contraceptives; more unplanned or unwanted pregnancies 8 Some findings: VAW and Health

9. Other forms of VAW in Pacific The safety of women and girls in cities and towns is deteriorating High levels of violence/sexual violence and harassment in market places - documented by UN Women in PNG and SI Torture, disabling and murder of vulnerable women often arbitrarily accused of practising sorcery in PNG - taking place with impunity Early marriage is common and puts girls at high risk of physical and sexual abuse Traditions of brideprice and polygamy a key factor in perpetuating VAW, and fuelling HIV transmission Increased evidence emerging of trafficking of women and girls 9

10. VAW in context of conflict, political crises & natural disasters  Increased domestic violence and the use of rape and other forms of sexual violence as a weapon, are reported in a range of conflicts Examples in the Pacific: ethnic tensions in Solomon Islands, the civil war in Bougainville, political instability in Fiji and tribal fighting in PNG Highlands Emergency human rights situations: Systematic beatings/rapes/pack rapes by police and security guards in and around mining enclaves 10

11. Progress made to address VAW  Active civil society response at the community level, and increasing networking among NGOs Gradually increasing service provision for survivors by NGOs and church networks in urban areas Pacific NGOs effective women�s lobbying Increasing high level political commitment e.g. Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat �SGBV Reference Group� established at the request of leaders Legislation, policies and action plans and in country coordination on Ending VAW in have progressed (esp. Kiribati and Solomon Islands) Increased financial support to VAW initiatives by AusAID, UN agencies and others, and substantial commitment for next few years 11

12. Good practices are emerging Expertise, knowledge and experience from national and regional NGOs adopting a rights and gender-responsive approach e.g. Fiji Women�s Crisis Centre (FWCC) and RRRT High quality, rights-based regional training and lobbying work e.g. FWCC and RRRT Effective community based and rights based approaches to respond to, and prevent, VAW e.g. Vanuatu Women�s Centre �Pacific Fund to End VAW� providing small grants and capacity development opportunities for innovative, multi-sectoral work in 8 countries (administered by UN Women) Pilot work to promote safety / security as a basis of strengthening women�s economic, social and legal rights of women in market places by UN Women Innovative approaches working with men and boys 12

13. Many challenges remain Major gap between commitment, budget and human resource allocations to implement work on the ground Limited action on the ground by governments Informal justice systems, intervening and responding on the basis of �culture and religion� are often the norm. Impunity of male public leaders, including police, for acts of violence committed against women Service provision for survivors to remote island communities is costly and difficult Aid programmes tend not to address the sites of worst situation for women and girls � such as the Highlands of PNG Sectoral ministries and aid programmes do not address gender issues and VAW in a meaningful way 13

14. � The Australian Parliament urge and support: Pacific Island Governments to develop, finance and implement appropriate and effective legislation, policies and programmes to respond to and prevent all forms of VAW. Pacific Island Governments to be accountable to their international, regional and national commitments they have made to promote gender equality and end VAW. 14 Main Recommendation

15. Support countries to develop policies, action plans and allocate budgets to address VAW Support the integration of VAW into national health services and build the capacity of health workers Support governments to ensure that women and girls have access to justice Support countries to respond to survivors needs and build the capacity of the police, health, counselling and legal aid providers Support funding requests for baseline studies to be conducted in additional countries Efforts of PIFS, UN and AusAID to be more rigorously aligned and mutually supportive with governments, based on initiatives like UNiTE and the PIFS Reference Group on SGB Violence 15 Additional Recommendations

16. �This government has chosen to address violence against women so that our children will experience less of it in order that our grandchildren might see none of it.� Derek Sikua, former Prime Minister Solomon Islands (Solomon Islands Family Health and Safety Study, 2009) 16