Ending violence against women in the Pacific

Black Pacific dresses will be hanging up on washing lines outside Parliament tomorrow to visually represent the number of women in the Pacific Islands who suffer some of the highest rates of sexual and gender-based violence in the world.

Invited guests and Members of Parliament will be asked to remove some of the black dresses and replace them with colourful ones to show their shared desire to end this fundamental human rights violation.

WHERE: Parliamentary Steps, Parliament Buildings, Wellington

WHEN: 1.00-1.30pm, December 8th 2010

Background: Rates of violence against women in the Pacific Islands remain some of the highest in the world. The consequences of violence are many. Violence can lead to death or severe injury of women and girls, miscarriage in pregnant women, the contraction of STIs, including HIV, unwanted pregnancy and poor mental health, leaving a devastating impact not only on individual women, but on communities and the Pacific region as a whole.

Violence against women is universal. It injures or kills one in three women across the world.

Some shocking facts:
• In Papua New Guinea, an average of 70% of women have experienced domestic violence.
• 64% of women in Solomon Islands have experienced physical and/or sexual violence.
• In Kiribati, 68% of women have experienced physical and/or sexual abuse.
• Over 60% of Pacific countries have no laws prohibiting violence against women.

The event at Parliament takes place during The 16 Days of Activism Against Violence Against Women - an international campaign involving more than 3400 organisations in 164 countries.

Wednesday’s event is organised by the new Women’s Rights and Advocacy in the Pacific group (WRAP), a coalition of concerned NZ-based international organisations coordinated by Amnesty International Aotearoa NZ, Oxfam New Zealand, Family Planning International, Unicef NZ and Unifem NZ. For more information, please visit www.wrap.org.nz.

Oxfam New Zealand has released a new report: Violence and insecurity in the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea, investigating the endemic causes and impacts of interpersonal and tribal violence. Copies will be available at Wednesday’s event, or please visit www.oxfam.org.nz/resources.