The Dominican Republic’s cardinal has denounced the “international scandal” of violence against women in his Caribbean nation, better known for sunshine and sandy beaches. Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez made his views known to President Leonel Fernandez during a two-hour meeting as the president approached the end of his term of office. In the Read more
The Pacific Conceptual Framework to Address Family Violence in New Zealand was launched in Auckland on Wednesday. Speaking at the launching, the Associate Minister of Social Development, Tariana Turia, said that Aotearoa can learn from Pacific nations. “Today is a very significant day – a day in which Pacific nations have established a platform for Read more
A Catholic priest in Papua New Guinea who teaches anger management says changing the way people think is one of the keys to overcoming the pervasive levels of domestic violence in the country. Father Philip Gibbs says law changes are one thing but implementation is another given that the police force is really stretched. “And Read more
A report on gender based violence in Tonga has found that three out of every four women there experiences male violence during her life. The foreword was written by the Prime Minister Lord Tuivakano, who also spoke at the launch ceremony. He said the disturbing statistics show how women have been the focus of rejection Read more
Tongan Bishop, Paini Mafi, says church leaders need to open their eyes and look beyond the bible in order to understand and combat a “huge problem” of gender based violence. “As leaders of our churches we ought to be at the forefront of current issues such as violence against women and children, which are affecting not Read more
A sixteen-day campaign against gender violence is being supported by the Pacific Conference of Churches. A Recent AusAID report on violence against women in Melanesia and East Timor, and a UN report, provides the backdrop. In Papua New Guinea, 67 per cent of women are beaten by their husbands – 100 per cent in the Read more
Challenging the disparity between beliefs and practice in Christian churches is an issue that needs to be addressed according to The Anglican Bishop of Polynesia, the Most Reverend Dr Winston Halapua, who was keynote speaker at the opening of the National Network Meeting on the Elimination of Violence Against Women in Suva. “I do not pretend Read more
Seven rugby players and a trainer from New Zealand ITM Cup and Super rugby teams arrived in Tonga on Monday for a week-long tour visiting schools and community groups. The players are in Tonga to assist the Pacific Prevention of Domestic Violence Programme (PPDVP) a New Zealand Aid funded programme, and the Tonga Police Head Read more
Police statistics showing a drop in family violence offences don’t square with overloaded courts and the number of victims being treated at hospitals, the Principal Family Court Judge said. Judge Peter Boshier questioned police statistics which show recorded family violence offences reversed an upwards trend to drop by 3.1 per cent to 52,408 in 2010-11. Read more
In Samoa, a Bill to prevent violence against women and children has been presented to Cabinet. Currently domestic violence comes under the Crimes Ordinance Act. But the Family Safety Bill aims to give more power to police, health officials and educators to prevent violence and rehabilitate victims. In an interview on Radio Australia International Lina Chang, Read more