In late December last year, the Australian High Commissioner to the Solomon Islands, Dr Lachlan Strahan, together with representatives from the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs (MWYCFA) and development partners, announced the launch of Australia’s new Gender Equality Plan for Solomon Islands 2020-2022.
The Plan set out Australia’s future investment in gender equality activities in Solomon Islands over the next two years.
Dr Strahan announced that new projects identified in the Gender Equality Plan for Solomon Islands 2020-2022 would include financial support to women’s groups that are recognised ‘change makers’ in the community, the Women’s Rights Action Movement, the National Council of Women and the Provincial Council of Women.
Target core and operational funding to two additional groups that enable and empower women’s voices in public discourses, the Solomon Islands Women in Business Association and People with Disabilities Solomon Islands.
Work with market vendors across Solomon Islands to address the
impact of COVID-19 on livelihoods through the successful ‘Markets for Change’programme delivered by UN Women.
Further funding for the Family Support Centre and the Christian Care Centre – Solomon Islands’ key domestic violence service providers, which would receive continued support from International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA).
Continue to fund World Vision and Oxfam projects in Solomon Islands
that seek to change behaviours and attitudes towards violence against women by working with faith and community leaders and churches, and directly through local communities.
Continue to work in partnership with the MWYCFA as it leads on gender policy and implementation across Solomon Islands, and provide more technical support to the Ministry.
Funding to the UN Women’s Pacific Partnership will help the Ministry to roll out the national SAFENET domestic violence referral network and the Domestic Violence Counselling Guidelines.
Dr.Strahan stressed the Gender Equality Plan for Solomon Islands (2020-2022) would complement Australia’s regional gender programmes and remain a key element of its health, education, law and justice, and economic growth development programmes in the Solomon Islands.
While barely 6 months on since the official launch of the Gender Equality Plan, I would be interested to learn just what developments have occurred in the several areas the High Commission said would be specifically targeted, but especially in respect of what has been done for people with disabilities in the Solomon Islands.
I raise my questioning, respectfully, in the light of a statement made last week by Ms. F Rangirei, the Hon. Minister for the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs. (MWYCFA), Solomon Islands when speaking on gender issues and concerns said, “Despite these key progresses, there still remains a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure women’s protection, development and empowerment in the Solomon Islands,”
I read quite recently that the Western Province had demanded more SAFENET support by way of shelters for women and girls escaping domestic and family violence.
Our daily papers continue to tell stories of horrific incidents of sexual violence occurring to young girls and this despite what has been seen as tougher sentences having been handed down by the courts for those convicted of sexual offences, included rape.
A police officer told a news journalist not so long ago about his experiences in the RSIPF”s Crime Prevention Centre’s Family Violence Division
At the Centre, he said he was a pioneer of the SAFENET approach for national service-providers to better support survivors of violence. The approach ensured that all front-line service-providers—from police to hospital and crisis centre staff—coordinated with one another to provide the best possible survivor-centred response and ongoing support to gender-based violence survivors, in a timely way.
It provided direct services and support and referrals to other service-providers through a coordinated process; prevention and advocacy programmes; and a governance and accountability framework.
The policeman also spoke about the Family Protection Act and efforts he saw to make sure that police officers were more respectful and assisted domestic violence survivors.
Interestingly this same policeman reportedly said, “While laws and processes are essential to drive change, the biggest barrier is people’s mindsets.”
“A few generations ago, men in our culture had no right to give orders to women, and women had decision-making rights.”
“Until we change our mindsets and get our cultural balance back, violence against women, girls and boys will continue.”
He said his own mindset was changed thanks to SAFENET and gender training, but the journey continues to help Solomon Islands reduce its 64 per cent gender-based violence rate - currently one of the highest in the world.
Footnotes.
The SAFENET network of government and non-government organizations is led by the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs, in partnership with UN Women, with funding from the Pacific Partnership to End Violence Against Women and Girls. The partnership is supported by the European Union and the Australian Government.
Since 2012, UN Women has been providing dedicated support to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls in Solomon Islands, by strengthening capacity within government and civil society to expand survivor services and stop violence before it starts
Comment:
Has extra funding been given to the UN Women’s Pacific Partnership and to what extent has the Ministry needed to expand the national SAFENET domestic violence referral network and the Domestic Violence Counselling Guidelines, given what I read about the needs for safe referral centres in the Western Province.
Also since the introduction of the Family Protection Act has it helped for those having suffered from domestic or family violence to come forward to report incidences, or is there still the reluctance to report such incidences? If so how will the Australian led Gender Equality Plan address such a concern?
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
