FWCC convenes flagship Pacific meeting on ending violence against women

10 Dec, 2018

MORE than 60 participants from 11 Pacific countries are gathered at the Warwick Resort in Sigatoka for the 8th Meeting of the Pacific Women’s Network Against Violence Against Women (PWNAVAW).

This is the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre’s (FWCC) regional flagship meeting of those working to eliminate violence against women (EVAW) from around the Pacific region.

The FWCC says the meeting will hear from representatives of 11 countries on measures being taken in their countries to address the issue of violence against women, including law reforms and budget allocations for implementation, response services for survivors of gender-based violence, prevention programs, research in the area and emerging issues.

“This meeting brings together those in the region from civil society, government and men who are working at the forefront of eliminating violence against women to share their experiences, discuss new approaches in addressing the problem, build solidarity and map a way forward in the next two years,” said Shamima Ali, the coordinator of FWCC and chair of the network.

The countries represented are Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.

Among those in attendance are government representatives as well as development partners from the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Gender Division, UN Women and the Australian Federal Police.

First convened in 1992 and previously held every four years, the regional meeting is now held biennially because of the magnitude of the problem of violence against women in the Pacific and the work that still needs to be done to address it.

This year’s meeting begins on World Human Rights Day, which also marks the end of the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Violence Against Women.

As part of FWCC’s ongoing program, this meeting is funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

The meeting started today and ends on December 14.

Written by ROHIT DEO on 10 December, 2018, 3:40 pm

Source: https://www.fijitimes.com/fwcc-convenes-flagship-pacific-meeting-on-ending-violence-against-women/