This is in response to research conducted by the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre which suggests that 64 percent of Fijian women aged between 15 and 49 have experienced physical or sexual abuse meted out by their husbands or partners.

Break the Silence Sunday, an initiative of the Anglican church, was observed in Fiji's Methodist, Catholic, Baptist, Salvation Army, Orthodox churches and at some independent evangelical fellowships.

The message is also being carried on television.

On Sunday, Fiji's 6 pm news carried a 60-second video clip in which the leaders of these churches affirmed that male and female are created equal by God - and that violence against women and children "is a sin." Click here to watch the video.

The video will be rebroadcast during primetime news every night for the three weeks leading up to Human Rights Day on December 10.

And if viewers didn't get the message during the news hour, the video clip will then be re-screened four times later in the evening until December 10.

The video will also screen before every film showing in Suva's 10 Damodar movie theatres, in Lautoka's four theatres and in Nadi's two until December 10.

The proposal for Break the Silence Sunday originated from the Christian network Talanoa, an alliance of Fijian women's groups and churches convened by the House of Sarah - an organisation hosted by the Diocese of Polynesia that delivers a range of services designed to end violence against women and children.

In September last year, Archbishop Winston Halapua urged the various denominational leaders in the Fiji Council of Churches to observe their own "Break the Silence Sunday" - and he also proposed a video campaign.

He got 100 percent support for that too - and the Methodist Church of Fiji's Communication Department then set about producing the video and booking slots for it to be shown on TV and in the movie theatres.

While Break the Silence Sunday is a Fijian move, the Anglican Diocese of Polynesia also observed it in its Samoan, Tongan and American Samoan churches.

Source

• Anglican Taonga
• Fiji Times
• Image: YouTube

This was the view of Reverend Joji Abonio from St Christopher's Anglican Church, who was part of a male advocacy training workshop that ended in Suva on Friday 22 July.

"We are thankful to the Pacific Conference of Churches and the Fiji Council of Churches for organising this workshop that has given me insight and so much more knowledge on this issue of gender and gender based violence," Abonio said.

The Fiji Women's Crisis Centre (FWCC) in partnership with the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) have been conducting the male advocacy workshop for women's human rights with pastors, priests and church workers.

FWCC facilitated the workshop organised by PCC to help men who are members of churches that belong to the Fiji Council of Churches understand gender, violence against women, human rights and how they can help eliminate gender-based violence.

29 men including pastors and lay preachers attended the workshop which was held at the Methodist Church of Fiji's Epworth House hall in Suva.

FWCC Co-ordinator Shamima Ali said religious leaders play an important role in the lives of the majority of people in Fiji.

It was hoped that through the workshop the religious leaders would be open to learning about the issues and coming to terms with the magnitude of the problem.

This included the fact that some priests and pastors are perpetrators of violence.

Source

• fijitimes.com
• fijisun.com.fj
• Image: seedstheatre.org

Gwen Ratu, who represents the office of the Police Commissioner, told a media conference on the Family Protection Act that culture and church have valued roles in the implementation processes of the Act.

"Our culture is something we grow up with, we would sympathise with victims so we will tend to always look after the victim, their children not necessarily in their family unit but in the extended family.

"The churches have certainly played their part as well in providing safety and counselling for the victims."

Meanwhile the Director of Community Policing Unit Mr. Solomon Sisimia is thankful that ‘church and culture' continue to play significant roles in the RSIPF community awareness effort.

On 8 April The Solomon Islands officially launched its Family Protection Act 2014 which is aimed at curbing domestic violence in the country.

A Family Health and Safety Study in 2008 showed that 64 percent of women and girls in Solomon Islands suffer from domestic violence.

The Director of the Women's Development Division in the Solomon Islands Ministry of Women, Youth, Children & Family Affairs says the new act addresses various loopholes in existing legislation including definitions for different forms of abuse.

Speaking at the formal launching of the Act on Friday in Honiara, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said the State and its partner institutions can only help victims of family violence if cases are reported to relevant authorities.

Sogavare said for far too long, Solomon Islanders have tolerated, excused and justified domestic violence which means that for a lot of people, accepting violence in the family is entrenched in them - resulting in violent crimes going unpunished and perpetrators walking free.

Source

• radionz.co.nz
• pmpresssecretariat.com
• www.sibconline.com.sb
• Image: pmpresssecretariat.com

Fourteen women, six men and ten children are killed by a member of their family every year on average.

Now the Government is considering making family violence a stand-alone offence.

Domestic violence is gaining the attention of the Vatican.

Last year, a Catholic psychologist who met with the Pontifical Council for the Laity said violence between partners is a massive problem globally.

In June Pope Francis said Family separation can be "morally necessary".

Catholics will be looking to the Synod on the Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and the Contemporary World hoping that the Synod will provide some practical pastoral insights that will address the causes of domestic violence.

Former chief Family Court judge, Peter Boshier, who is now also a Law Commissioner, says that while changes in the law may help what is really needed is a change in attitude.

Anti-family violence advocates say they would support a specific criminal charge for domestic abuse, but it should not be seen as a silver bullet.

On Sunday Justice Minister Amy Adams promised a crackdown on family violence but further details will not be released until later in the week in a discussion paper.

Family violence-related offences are likely to be reclassified, which would make it easier for agencies to keep track of statistics, she said.

The level of domestic violence in New Zealand is disturbing:

• A report by UN Women was released in 2011 canvassed 22 developed nations about subjects including domestic violence and maternal mortality. New Zealand was ranked either at or near the bottom of the countries in the study in both areas.
• New Zealand has had the highest rate of intimate partner violence out of 14 OECD countries in the decade 2000 to 2010.
• The Family Violence Review Committee report revealed 139 people, including 37 children, died from family violence and related homicides between 2009 and 2012 - an average of 35 a year.
• Figures released in June this year showed police conducted more than 100,000 investigations into family violence in 2014.
• 41 percent of all police response time deals with domestic violence.
• Government spends an estimated $1.4 billion each year addressing family and sexual violence.

It has been estimated that 90 per cent of family violence goes unreported.

Trevor McGlinchey, the executive office of the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS) has pointed out that, "Some government funded social services organisations report it's been over ten years since they last received a cost of living allowance for the services they deliver."

"The increase in inflation over that period is over 27%."Read his full blog

Source

• tvnz.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• radionz.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• 3news.co.nz
• Image: radionz.co.nz

A recent intervention preventing the murder of four women accused of sorcery is being hailed as a victory in the push to eradicate witchcraft-related attacks in Papua New Guinea, but those fighting the battle say the violence is still increasing.

Eves says the Catholic church in Chimbu province has quite a good response, "When somebody dies they are quickly on the scene, and start talking about alternatives."

Father Philip Gibbs is based in Mount Hagen in PNG's Western Highlands province, which shares a border with Chimbu.

He has taken a "particular interest" in working to combat sorcery-related violence, both in rescuing people and raising awareness among communities.

Often when he arrives at a town or village after hearing a person has been accused of sorcery, he faces strong resistance.

"I went to one place recently and … I wanted to speak to a woman who'd been tortured and they said 'no.'"

"There had been all sorts of intertribal tensions and they thought my presence would exacerbate those tensions."

"Where my coming might make that worse I have to really decide what's best to do.

"If someone's going to die out of it you have to intervene, but sometimes you can't."

There has been some "patchy" progress made in combatting sorcery related violence, Gibbs believes, but it predates government efforts.

Anecdotally, there seem to be fewer accusations in neighbouring Chimbu province after the Catholic church initiated a plan, he said.

"On the other hand I've seen a growth into areas where it wasn't there before. I think there is a net increase at the moment."

Source

• The Guardian
• Image: The Guardian