Women have taken to the streets of the Papeete, to raise awareness about violence against women.
The demonstration coincided with an appeal lodged by Christian Thony who has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend, Soraya Paari. Soraya was killed on October 25, 2007. She had taken refuge in her nephew’s home because she feared for her life and had filed a complaint against Thony on October 2 because he had threatened to kill her.
The protest was organised by the Vahine Orama Federation, an independent women’s organisation set up in 2003 to defend and promote the rights of women in French Polynesia .
The Federation’s president, Elisabeth Hermant, has told Radio Australia that while domestic violence rates are comparatively low, women who are victims of violence are being encouraged to speak out.
“We have regularly women at the hospital, last weekend that was the case,” she said.
A week long consultation of the PAcific Conference of Churches in 2007 heard that cultural practices and patriarchal systems that perpetuate violence against women and children, that continue to consider women as second-class citizens must be stopped to realise women’s full potential.
The meeting included training for lecturers who are going to implement the new curriculum change in theological schools.
The meeting conceded that a radical transformation is needed in our society which must rid itself of violence.
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