Page 19 - IB March 2018 Edition

Status of Women in the Pacific Report

“Violence against women impedes Sandra Bernklau is roles such as scientists and engineers.
women’s progress across all sectors and currently a Regional Despite that, the Pacific has closed the
this is a big constraint for everyone’s Technical Special- gap in education where it has increased
development.” girls’ enrolment in primary and secondary
Such gender based violence is a viola- ist at UN Women Fiji education.
tion of human rights and in the Pacific Multi-Country Of- “We now have more girls enrolled, ex-
fice (MCO). She has
there are many dedicated and talented worked in the Pacific celling in schools and graduating, but that
national women’s organisations and other for over 20 years in has not translated to equality in employ-
agencies working tirelessly to end violence ment afterwards.”
against women and girls. the areas of human What exactly is the barrier there?
Between 2009 and 2014 domestic vio- rights and gender. Except for Fiji’s Family Law Act, the cur-
lence laws were passed in 10 Pacific states- rent property laws in most countries have
Fiji, Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New the Marshall Islands, Samoa’s Deputy limited women from equal rights and equal
Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Kosrae Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, access to property than men.
State of the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji’s Speaker Dr Jiko Luveni, Leader of “That holds women back, if we don’t
Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. Opposition Ro Teimumu Kepa, Minister have assets, we can’t have loans or start
In addition to swift action to change Mereseini Vuniwaqa and Rosy Akbar, businesses.”
domestic violence legislation, many Pacific Assistant Minister Veena Bhatnagar and “Equality in property is a big barrier for
countries are looking at related legislation Lorna Eden were few of the women leaders many women in the Pacific.”
in their criminal codes on rape and as- who have shown that women can do the Another area that needed to be ad-
sault to address violence against women job as equal as men. dressed is science and technology.
and girls. “Some of the things that are impeding While girls are being enrolled in schools,
“This is an incredible progress, but women in leadership is the overall per- they are not pushed to become an en-
there is much work ahead to implement ception of women as leaders and gender gineer, a pilot, scientist or construction
legislation.” equality.” worker, instead they are encouraged to
“It is implementing the legislation that “This is tied up in our social norms become a nurse or a teacher.
is the next big hurdle, the counselling, related to culture, religion, education and “This relates to social norms where girls
the care services that has to go along family- all those things that set our percep- are encouraged to pursue certain profes-
with that.” tion and values.” sions and not others.”
She attributed it to the talents and re- While there are successful women run To have clearer gender lenses and a
search of talented and competent women’s businesses in the region and a lot of shift from the normative patriarchal’s
organisations. women engaged in employment, that has perspective, there is a need for govern-
“Governments can’t argue with evi- yet to be distributed equally. ments, churches, schools, families and
dence.” “It is still like a triangle, where we have everyone to start the conversation on
“There has been incredible research bulk of women in employment at the lower gender equality.
done across the Pacific on violence against level and are getting lesser pay.” There was still a long way to go to level
women and the linkages to health of Statistics show that there were a lot the playing field.
women, health of families, economy- all of women in informal sectors and less But that can be achieved if everyone will
of these have come out in the last ten women in highly paid professional posi- see women as equal to men.
years and government has not been able tions like heads of businesses, technical r mememarau@gmail.com
to ignore that.”
“The enactment of these domestic vio-
lence legislation has been quite incredible,
that has been a wow factor, a big change
in the last ten years.”
While progress was noted on few areas,
somethings have not changed much over
the last ten years.
That includes low representation of
women in leadership at all levels- from
parliaments, governments, boards and
businesses.
“The Pacific ranks the lowest in wom-
en’s representation at 15 per cent.”
“There are 40 women Members of
Parliament out of the 559 Members of
Parliament in the region.”
Bernklau said there was a need to step
up in that area of women in leadership
and some countries like Samoa have put
in place temporary special measures to
close the gap. The Pacific has acknowledged that gender equality is an integral part of its economic, political, cultural and social
The likes of President Hilda Heine of development. Photo: UN Women/Murray Lloyd

Islands Business, March 2018 19