Pacific Island nations, including Fiji, are actively working towards adopting global standards to combat gender-based violence and discrimination against women and girls. This was highlighted by Mereseini Rakuita, the Principal Strategic Lead for Pacific Women and Girls at the Pacific Community, during the Gender Equality in the Pacific event. Organized by Women in Media in collaboration with the Australian High Commission, the event emphasized the powerful role of media in reshaping public perspectives concerning women and gender issues in the Pacific region.
Rakuita urged stakeholders to prioritize efforts to eliminate gender-based violence, asserting that media can be instrumental in changing societal mindsets. She warned that without urgent focus on these pressing issues, progress would be slow and uneven, undermining the region’s ability to address systemic inequalities.
The forum highlighted several urgent topics, including gender-based violence, discrimination against women and girls, and the challenges faced by journalists, especially online abuse. It called for collaborative efforts to create a safer media environment and promote a culture of respect and equity.
This aligns with previous discussions where alarming statistics were shared, showing that two out of three women in the Pacific experience some form of violence in their lifetime, which is alarmingly twice the global average. Rakuita noted that addressing these critical issues requires engagement from all sectors of society, reinforcing that alongside legal frameworks, societal attitudes must also evolve to support meaningful change.
The upcoming Pacific Technical Cooperation Session, scheduled to take place in Suva, is set to be a historic event as the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) convenes outside Geneva for the first time. This session will provide a key platform for local voices to be heard, and aims to align CEDAW recommendations with the unique realities of Pacific communities.
As various Pacific nations prepare for this significant dialogue, there remains a hopeful outlook that these initiatives will catalyze a collective movement towards lasting improvements in gender equality across the region. The commitment from local governments and communities fosters an encouraging environment for change, leading towards a future where women and girls can thrive in safety and dignity.
Leave a comment