NZ Judge Urges Pacific for Legislative Change
Violence against women 'should not be viewed in
isolation; a fact that is critical in considering the most
effective ways to achieve legislative reform,' says New
Zealand Chief High Court Judge Helen Winkelmann. In opening
the Secretariat of the Pacific Community's Regional Rights
Resource Team conference on advancing legislative change on
violence against women, Judge Winkelmann further stated that
violence against women demands attention because it is the
most tangible breach of the human rights of women.
In
a conference room packed with lawyers from 10 Pacific
countries Judge Winkelmann quoted statistics from recent
surveys on domestic violence in the Pacific. She emphasised
that in Solomon Islands, a 2008 family health and safety
study found that two in three women between the ages of 15
and 49 had been abused in their lifetime through physical
partner violence and/or sexual partner violence. And 55 per
cent of women had been forced into sex against their will.
In Papua New Guinea, 67 per cent of wives had been beaten by
their husbands and 60 per cent of men interviewed reported
having participated in 'lainap' or gang rape at least once.
In Samoa, according to a 2005 World Health Organisation
Multi-Country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence
Against Women, 67 per cent of all respondents reported being
subjected to violence by someone other than a partner since
the age of 15 years. Eighty-five per cent of women
physically abused by their partner had never asked any
formal agency for help, and of these, 86 per cent stated
that they had not sought help because they thought such
abuse was 'normal' or 'not serious enough.'
The
lawyers and magistrates looked at human rights issues
related to not only violence against women but HIV, the
Universal Periodic Review, national human rights commissions
and a regional human rights mechanism.
Russell Kun,
Chief Public Defender of Marshall Islands, said that there
is starting to be a realisation in the Pacific now,
especially in light of the surveys quoted by Judge
Winkelmann, that there is a need to change legislation to
modernise the outdated laws on violence against women.
Judge Winkelmann noted that the lawyers and
magistrates should take full advantage of the vital
opportunity to exchange experiences and ideas on the
important issues. She was optimistic about the benefits for
the countries of the Pacific. She further recognised that
the magistrates and lawyers present were leaders in their
communities, with roles extending beyond the scope of
private practice or work within government departments. She
mentioned that the advice and views expressed by the
magistrates and lawyers present, and the actions they
undertake, will influence the views and actions of others.
The Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT) is a
programme under the Secretariat of the Pacific Community's
Social Resources
Division.
ENDS