SUVA, Fiji\u2014A respected former Fijian judge has told a human rights forum that legislation is only part of the solution to ending domestic violence in the Pacific region.<\/p>\n
Former Judge Mere Pulea delivered the opening address at the Pacific Community Gender and the Law Consultation 2016 in Nadi this week, which was organised by the Pacific Community\u2019s Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT) in partnership with UN Women and the Fiji Women\u2019s Rights Movement.<\/p>\n
\u201cPutting in place laws against domestic violence in 11 Pacific Island countries is a major achievement which will have profound impacts on the lives of victims of violence. However, legislation in itself is only part of the solution,\u201d Judge Pulea said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is much more to be done to effectively implement these laws, a challenge that is rivalled only by our underestimation of the difficulty of bringing about attitudinal and systemic changes,\u201d Judge Pulea stated.<\/p>\n
The five-day consultation brought together lawyers, police, civil society representatives and policy officers from those Pacific countries with family protection and domestic violence laws in place (Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Island, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu) to share experiences, challenges and lessons learned in implementing their respective family protection laws.<\/p>\n
The Meeting Statement calls on Pacific governments to recognise the multiple layers of discrimination that women face, and the challenges and barriers to justice experienced by women and girls, including women and girls with disabilities.<\/p>\n
The statement, endorsed by all participants, acknowledges that \u201cdomestic violence is the most pervasive violation of human rights that it affects all women and girls across the Pacific\u201d. <\/p>\n
It also stresses the need to strengthen collaboration between governments, NGOs, women\u2019s groups, shelters, churches and other civil society structures to ensure Pacific communities benefit from domestic violence laws.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn average, two out of three Pacific women are believed to experience violence at the hands of their intimate partners or family members during their lifetime, which is why this continues to be a serious issue in the region,\u201d RRRT Director, Mark Atterton, said. <\/p>\n
\u201cSPC is working with multiple partners to support efforts to curtail domestic violence as we believe that a rights-based approach is fundamental to responses to domestic violence,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
With the theme Implementing Domestic Violence Legislation, the consultation was supported by the Australian Government and the European Union. <\/p>\n
The misuse of family protection and domestic violence laws for purposes not intended by the law and the most appropriate circumstances for using mediation were also among the topics covered.<\/p>\n
RRRT is the Pacific Community\u2019s human rights programme, working to build a rights-based culture, and assisting nation states to commit to, and observe, international human rights standards. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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