Web resource:	http://www.ode.ausaid.gov.au/publications/pdf/vaw_cs_full_report.pdf
Type:	Electronic publication
Title:	Violence against women in Melanesia and East Timor : building on global and regional promising approaches
Authors:	Australian Agency for International Development. Office of Development Effectiveness
Keywords:	Overview;CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse);Human rights
Year:	2008
Publisher:	AusAID Office of Development Effectiveness, Canberra
Notes:	The report Violence Against Women in Melanesia and East Timor:(2008), by AusAID’s Office of Development Effectiveness, is an assessment of the effectiveness of current approaches to reducing violence in Fiji, PNG, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and East Timor. It is a sobering account of the disadvantage and danger experienced by many women and girls in our region, the challenges faced by local women with few resources to provide support and drive change, and the positive role that Australians can play. Despite the limited research that has been conducted on violence against women in Melanesia and East Timor, studies by the PNG Law Reform Commission (1992) and the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre (1999) report alarming rates of violence, with two in every three women reporting being physically abused by their partners. Collaborative research in East Timor (Hynes et al. 2003) found that intimate partner violence and sexual violence are the most common forms of violence in the country. For the Violence Against Women in Melanesia and East Timor:report, an evaluation team made site visits to each country, conducting interviews with key individuals, including survivors. Local researchers were trained to conduct further interviews and focus groups in rural areas. Consequently, a great strength of the report is the authenticity of the evidence from local people that clearly demonstrates the danger of daily life for many women and girls (p.13). The report found that the low status of women in the region is ‘a major obstacle to reducing violence against them’ reinforced by a number of customary practices. Bride price (except for Fiji) was cited with economic dependence as the biggest factors in perpetuating violence against wives because it relegates women to the status of property: “I bought her for $5000. I can do anything with her. She’s my property not yours”:(p.17). Other problematic practices include polygamy and the payment of compensation to the males with rights over a women who has been injured (father, brother, husband) in the interest of ‘maintaining peace between groups and their male leaders’ (p.18). Every country has at least one crisis support service for women experiencing violence, though most are run by NGOs on a shoestring with support from international aid agencies. Very few receive core funding or national government funds. Only the centres in Timor-Leste provide onsite emergency shelter and most centres are in urban areas, though the majority of women live in rural areas. The report identifies limited access to services, poor coordination between services and the uneven quality of service as barriers for women and girls seeking support. Nevertheless, there has been significant progress made under difficult circumstances. The report cites as examples of promising practice, the inspiring work of the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre, the Vanuatu Women’s Centres and the network of VAW Committees in Vanuatu, and the establishment of a safe space in Dili Hospital to treat victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. Health services are identified as capable of playing a critical role in supporting women and girls. One-stop shops at health clinics that integrate medical care and counselling with police and legal services and shelter are recommended.
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/21440
ISBN:	9781921285547
Physical description:	206 p.
Appears in Collections:	Online resource

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