Recent surveys show how more than 60 per cent of women in the Pacific islands have experienced gender-based and partner violence. Service providers have made sure that women, after the fact, are taken care of. However, there has not been much focus and work towards prevention.
In order to take preventive measures, Australia has signed an agreement worth almost $20 million with the European Union and the United Nations to help tackle the root causes of gender inequality and violence against women and girls in the Pacific.
Moreover, Australia has promised more than $6.5 million (€5m) as part of the deal for Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Pierre Amilhat from the European Commission’s Department for International Cooperation and Development has expressed how:
“Pacific leaders have acknowledged that gender inequality is imposing a high personal, social and economic cost. The time to act is now"
According to Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, domestic violence is a very serious issue in the Pacific. Indeed, "we try and assist women in particular to help empower them, to help them start businesses, to help them do this sort of thing that helps them help their families, help their communities,” said Concetta.
[Click on the following link to read more]: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/australia-joins-20m-global-push-to-prevent-domestic-violence-across-the-pacific