Domestic Violence in the Micronesian Context

Micronesian countries, including Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, and Palau, are among the least advanced in terms of gender equality. One of the most significant consequences of women’s underrepresentation in politics is the high level of domestic violence and insufficient access to protection. Micronesia is unique from the rest of the Pacific Island countries in terms of its history, legal system, and matrilineal social system. This chapter discusses the challenges and progress of anti-domestic violence law in these countries in the past, present, and future. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has led to policy measures that address how women are disproportionately affected in these countries and how they face even higher rates of domestic violence. Despite police and crisis centers’ efforts to address violence against women, new challenges have emerged for the effective implementation of domestic violence legislation in the context of the emergency situation, related to disease pandemics, natural disasters, and climate change.

A Family Act – Power, Gendered Violence and the Living Legacy of Social Injustice in Papua New Guinea

Power inequalities and social injustice buttress and rationalise elevated levels of violence against women in Papua New Guinea. Increasingly, however, justifications for violence based on ‘tradition’ have been challenged by grassroots, non-government and external organisations. In this context, violence directed at women has become a focus for change through new social policies and legal frameworks. The continuing legacy of violence, and PNG’s complex legal system, however, make it difficult for women to navigate away from forms of everyday violence. Despite the recent introduction of the Family Protection Act (FPA), which criminalises domestic and family violence, research suggests that transformations in legal, sociocultural and political processes are slow and inadequate. This chapter argues that PNG women experience not only high levels of spectacular violence, which renders them particularly vulnerable to structural inequalities, but also the mundane and slow violence that causes profound and ongoing harm. The living legacy of social injustice means that women experience limited access to vital services and spaces, as well as legal protection and representation. While the FPA proffers a way forward for women experiencing violence, then, its implementation across PNG’s disparate and diverse communities is likely to be challenging, complex and long-term.

Community mobilisation in the framework of supportive social environment to prevent family violence in Solomon Islands

Community mobilisation is one of the promising approaches to prevent Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). Yet, there is very little research on the social contextual factors of community mobilisation for violence prevention based on broader theoretical framework. Particularly, the South Pacific remains one of the most under-researched regions in the world. This paper aims to address this and attempts to conduct process evaluation by elucidating the contexts that facilitated or hindered sustainable community mobilisation to prevent VAWG implemented by the Safe Families programme in Solomon Islands where the prevalence of violence is significantly high. This study adopted the Social Environment Framework developed by Campbell and Cornish, 2010, Mannell and Dadswell, 2017. They sought social contextual factors comprised of symbolic, material, relational and institutional dimensions that are of crucial importance to examine the mobilisation process, hence having influence on programme outcomes.

Gender Violence & Human Rights: Seeking Justice in Fiji, PNG and Vanuatu

This volume critically interrogates the relation between gender violence and human rights as Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu and their communities and citizens engage with, appropriate, modify and at times resist human rights principles and their implications for gender violence. It is grounded in extensive anthropological, historical and legal research. Chapter titles are: -Villages, […]

Gender and Disability Analysis-COVID-19 Samoa

On 20 March 2022, community transmission of COVID-19 was identified in Samoa,and subsequent set up of community testing sites found that COVID-19 was found throughout the communities of Upolu and Savaii islands. At the finalisation of this report in May 2022, Samoa has reported 11,313 community cases and 24 COVID-19 related deaths. This report provides […]

Home Safe? Porosity, Precarity, Borders: An Australian Crisis Diary Sites

The porosity of our bodies and our planet are palpable in the conjoint crises of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. Our shared atmosphere is increasingly toxic for all life with greenhouse gas emissions causing global heating, the rising and acidification of the ocean and the increased frequency and severity of what are no longer […]

Sistas, Let’s Talk Podcast: Being the eldest sister in the Pacific

In the Pacific region, being the eldest daughter in the family comes with a lot of responsibility. Eldest daughters often become a second mother to their younger siblings, take on special roles caring for extended family and even shoulder financial duties. In this Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) podcast, Hilda Wayne talks to big sisters from […]

Pathways to Justice: Strongim Sindaun Bilong Femili

The video depicts the pathway survivors of physical, sexual and emotional violence and abuse can follow in accessing the support and services they need and includes interviews with key service providers including police officers, health workers, lawyers, court officials, human rights defenders and counsellors. The documentary was commissioned by the Consultative Implementation and Monitoring Council […]

Symposium on family protection orders in the Pacific region

On 9 December 2021 the Australian National University (ANU) and the Pacific Community (SPC) co-convened a ‘Symposium on family protection orders in the Pacific region’. Family protection orders are a legal tool used to protect survivors of domestic violence from further harm. The symposium was an important opportunity to take stock of the family protection […]

Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Meeting of the Regional Working Group on the implementation of the Family Protection/Domestic Violence legislation (RWG)

In 2018, the Human Rights and Social Development (HRSD) division of the Pacific Community (SPC), convened a “Regional Consultation on the Implementation of Domestic Violence Legislation: from Law to Practice” for senior Government representatives from Ministries/Departments responsible for implementation of domestic violence legislation. A key outcome of this meeting was the establishment of the Regional […]