Pacific leaders need to do more to protect women’s rights

12 September 2011

Amnesty International says Pacific leaders need to do more to protect women’s rights

The Pacific Island Forum Communiqué has prioritised sustainable economic development for the region, but until such time as Pacific leaders fully recognise the rights of their women that development will be limited.

Amnesty International welcomes the commitment towards addressing gender equality and sexual and gender-based violence in Thursday’s Pacific Island Forum (PIF) leaders’ meeting communiqué but says concrete legislation needs to be put in place before any real protection is available for Pacific women.

In the communiqué, leaders commended the valuable contributions of the Forum Reference Group to address sexual and gender-based violence after their commitment in 2009 to address the issue and ensure all individuals have equal protection under the law and equal access to justice.

Amnesty has acknowledged that progress has been made towards combating sexual and gender-based violence and the invaluable work the Reference Group and other civil society organisations have done to create a platform in which to build a legal framework through the implementation of action plans and policies.

However this progress is wasted without taking the next step and enacting laws to protect women and their families.
Sexual and gender-based violence is an endemic problem throughout the Pacific with two out of three women experiencing abuse.
Excluding Vanuatu, no PIF country has specific legislation to address sexual and gender-based violence.

In response to the lack of progress to ensure real protection of women, Amnesty International is calling on Pacific leaders to “change the lights on women’s rights”.

At the Pacific Island Forum leaders’ meeting, leaders highlighted the importance of gender equality and agreed to ensure more efforts are taken to promote women’s equal role in decision making at all levels. Leaders also committed to increase the representation of women in legislatures.

Amnesty International commends leaders for this initiative as it is only through a comprehensive and integrated approach to changing perceptions of women, gender and discrimination that any real and effective progress can be made to solve the issue of sexual and gender based violence.

In the communiqué leaders highlighted the need for meaningful engagement with civil society in dealing with issues in the Pacific and said this was vital in finding the best path forward.

“Amnesty International praises leaders’ recognition of the need for meaningful engagement with civil society in the Pacific as it is these organisations and individuals that work on the ground and have invaluable knowledge on how to make real progress on some of the most important issues facing the Pacific,” says Patrick Holmes, Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand’s chief executive.

Amnesty International has collected over 21,000 signatures for their petition calling on Pacific leaders to take action on sexual and gender-based violence in the region. Last Thursday Kiribati Leader Anote Tong accepted the petition on behalf of his country. Amnesty International wrote to Pacific Island leaders asking them to accept its petition during the 2011 Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting and looks forward to their response.

ENDS

© Scoop Media