Pacific Peoples' Partnership

Connecting Indigenous and Pacific Peoples

Featured Partner: Moose Hide Campaign

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On September 16 2017, Pacific Peoples’ Partnership joined forces with the Moose Hide Campaign to deliver a feast at the Songhees Wellness Centre just outside Victoria. The evening was an opportunity to reflect as a community on a day of impactful programming, including our own One Wave Gathering and Moose Hide Campaign’s Regional Gathering. We are grateful for Moose Hide Campaign’s hospitality, and for the opportunity to deliberate on the Moose Hide message together.

The Moose Hide Campaign is a growing movement of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people committed to ending violence against women and girls. Supporters of the campaign demonstrate their commitment to a better future by wearing a small Moose Hide badge. In addition, Moose Hide Campaign delivers ongoing community engagement projects aimed at creating culturally informed supports and accountability mechanisms for men. To date, over 300,000 Moose Hide badges have been distributed across Canada.

According to Statistics Canada, one woman is killed every five days in a domestic homicide. 6,000 women are living in emergency shelters on any given day. Indigenous women are three times more likely to experience violence than non-Indigenous women in Canada.

The Moose Hide Campaign was inspired by a hunting trip taken by founders Paul and Raven Lacerte just off of British Columbia’s Highway 16. The highway is popularly known as the ‘Highway of Tears’ for the high number of women and girls, mainly of Indigenous descent, who have been murdered or disappeared between Prince Rupert and Prince George.

What can you do?

We are all responsible for promoting gender equity, healthy relationships and positive ideas of masculinity. Learn about the impact of violence around you, and question how your own attitudes and behaviours may perpetuate this violence. Seek and offer support.

On February 15 2018, the Moose Hide Campaign will meet for the 8th consecutive year in Victoria, British Columbia. Thousands of men from across the province will take part in a fast to reaffirm their commitment to ending violence against women, and access a range of supports. To get involved, visit moosehidecampaign.ca.

Intern Reflections: Gender Programming at PPP and My Contributions

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By Madeline Storey

I began my journey with Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) at the end of 2016. Originally from Australia, I came to Victoria, BC to work in the non-profit sector. I was unbelievably lucky to find an internship with PPP, and even luckier to work with such a knowledgeable, helpful and welcoming team.

During my time with PPP, I learnt a great many things. Throughout my life, I’d heard about the beauty of the South Pacific, the islands and the people living there. Being close to Australia, I was familiar with the tourist narratives from places like Fiji, Hawai’i, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. What I didn’t know about were the devastating effects climate change is currently having in the region. Nor did I know about the prevalence of gender-based violence in South Pacific communities. I also wasn’t aware of how people outside the South Pacific homogenize the cultures and knowledge of the region.

During my role as Communications and IT Intern, I learned these things about the South Pacific, and am forever changed by them.

Exploring the roots of PPP

Tok Blong Pasifik

The PPP journal, Tok Blong Pasifik, has featured a rich variety of news and views on the Pacific since 1982. It’s been a key way the organization has connected with members and partners over the years. One of the first tasks during my internship was to upload 34 years worth of past issues of Tok Blong Pasifik onto the website. This meant I got to know the journal extremely well! With over thirty years worth of issues, it was a mammoth task, but I was able to explore the history of PPP through the process.

One issue of Tok Blong caught my attention immediately. In 1992, the year I was born, PPP made an issue on Gender and Development in the South Pacific. This is an entire publication dedicated to sharing women’s voices from the region. With an interest in gender and women’s empowerment, I was pleasantly surprised that PPP had produced an issue all about women in the early nineties!

Past Women’s Campaigns

Since its inception, PPP has been allies with communities of the South Pacific, particularly with women in the region. While conducting research into PPP’s past programs, I found many successful women’s campaigns PPP produced or co-produced in South Pacific communities.

1989 – 1992: Mairisin Meri Program: Training Papua New Guinea Village Health Workers.

This partnership aimed to increase local capacity to respond to medical emergencies. Local

women were trained in first aid and provided with a dependable supply of medicines, while local

men were trained to build quality hygiene facilities. Nutritional education was offered to communities.

1997-2001: Ecowoman: Women’s Leadership in Environmental Management (Fiji).

The Ecowoman project grew from the determination of Pacific women to promote sound, ecofriendly science at the grassroots level. Project leadership came from the South Pacific Action Committee for Human Ecology & Environment (SPACHEE), a collective of women in science and technology, representing traditional methods and modern approaches. Project communities sought help to get rid of water hyacinth and watercress choking local rivers, bogging boats, becoming safety hazards for swimming children and reducing their edible mussel harvest. Pilot projects explored weaving hyacinth into crafts, feeding it to livestock and marketing it as a vegetable. The CIDA-PPP project also funded a series of Ecowoman newsletters and the development work on a database of women with science and environment expertise.

1998 – 2003: WAINIMATE: Women’s Traditional Medicine Network (Fijian and Canadian

Communities).

Women’s Association for Natural Medicinal Therapy (WAINIMATE) was established by Fijian women in response to concerns about the loss of traditional medicine knowledge and medicinal plants in Fiji and other parts of the Pacific. Bearing many of the responsibilities of maintaining Pacific communities, women are often most directly affected by inappropriate development practices and structural adjustment decisions that threaten their families, health and environment. WAINIMATE established gardens within urban hospitals and rural health centers, and trained hundreds of nurses, doctors, dentists and health administrators in the identification, use and cultivation of plants. And, perhaps most importantly, WAINIMATE worked closely with Ministry staff to develop national legislation and a strategy platform, which officially and effectively integrated the provision of traditional medicine within the national health care strategy and delivery program.

2009-2012: Papua Land of Peace: Civil Society Leadership in Conflict Transformation (Manokwari, West Papua New Guinea).

The Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua, or Tanah Papua, compose a land of stunning natural beauty and rich, complex cultures. Yet everyday, Papuans face longstanding human rights abuses, economic disparity and environmental contamination of their lands. This initiative enabled knowledge sharing and best practices of community-based resource stewardship, cultural strengthening, human rights and gender equity. It fostered cooperation between Papuans and counterparts across the Pacific and Indonesia, and created opportunities for enhancing PPP’s knowledge of how best to support the aspirations of our partners and the communities they serve. This project harnesses rights-based approaches toward integrating capacity strengthening and education on sustainable livelihoods, Indigenous rights, HIV/AIDS prevention, and violence against women.

2013-2015: Indigenous-led HIV Transmission Prevention Strategy (Tanah, Papua).

In partnership with Persatuan Terbatas Peduli Sehat – Association for Community Healthcare, University of Auckland and the University of Calgary, and with support from the Canada Institute of Health Research, this program involved culturally-informed HIV prevention education and the reduced risk of mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS.

2013-2015: Enterprising West Papuan Women Initiative (West Papua Province, Indonesia).

In partnership with the Institute for Research, Analysis and Development of Legal Aid, and with  support from Lush Canada and private donors, this program fostered livelihood opportunities for women, promoted gender equality, enhanced the role of women in leadership positions, and involved the construction of cooperative centres in Arowi and Mansinam for job skills training and to assist women facing domestic violence. These cooperatives serve a network of over 2,000 West Papuan women.

My contributions

With PPP’s long history of amazing gender programs and initiatives, I was excited to contribute to the gender and gender-sensitive programs at the organization. I soon found out that all programming at PPP are gender-sensitive. As an organization, taking a gender-based approach to other strategic areas, such as climate resilience and knowledge sharing, is imperative because vulnerable groups such as women and children are more at risk to the effects of climate change and often don’t have a role in decision-making in male-dominated communities.

Two of my most favorite projects on gender at PPP were a women’s campaign I ran in March and a newsletter article I wrote for February’s Pasifik Currents, PPP’s newsletter, which was published by Huffington Post Canada.

#PacificWomen Campaign

The #PacificWomen campaign was launched in honor of International Women’ Day (March 8th) and Women’s History Month in Australia, the UK and US during March, 2017. I put out a call on social media and through PPP’s network to collect stories from resilient, tenacious and courageous women from the Pacific. The stories we received were more than I had imagined! We were able to celebrate women from American Samoa, Hawai’i, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Canada and Australia during the campaign.

Persistence was a common theme which ran through the stories. Unfortunately, there are multiple barriers to success for women in remote communities of the Pacific, such as distance (geographical isolation), access to resources, static gender-roles in communities and lack of access to education. My hope in producing this campaign was to highlight amazing women who succeeded in their lives even when there are greater odds stacked against them.

Gender Articles

For PPP’s February 2017 Pasifik Currents, I was tasked with writing an article about gender. As gender equality is a passion of mine, I decided to research and write about women in the South Pacific. I ended up reading countless articles about international development, community structures, colonialism and more.

While taking all these things into consideration, I ended up writing about the ‘Gaps Between Gender Policy and Community Experiences in the South Pacific’. Through writing this article, I tried to articulate the intersecting challenges of being a woman in the South Pacific.

To my delight, my article was picked up by a Huffington Post Canada blog – ‘The Reality of Gender and Community in the South Pacific’. Often, women’s’ experiences in the South Pacific are ignored. My goal in having this article published was to draw more attention to their experiences. Luckily enough, I was given the platform to do so. I hope that moving forward, Pacific women are able to share their stories themselves.

I feel that women supporting women is of great importance. Working with April, Siobhan and Pawa at PPP, I felt supported and guided through my internship. I was able to work with all these ladies on multiple projects and have learned so much from them.

My time with PPP has taught me so much about the South Pacific, climate resilience, knowledge sharing and has allowed me to gain a new perspective on gender equality. I’m forever grateful for the experiences I’ve had with the organization and the amazing people I’ve been able to work with.

Gaps Between Gender Policy & Community Experiences in the South Pacific

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By Madeline Storey

Women of the South Pacific Islands are among most vulnerable groups in the world to the effects of gender inequality. Women across the Pacific face serious risk from violence, lack of economic opportunities, under-representation in leadership and limited access to healthcare and education[1].

In August of 2012, Pacific Island Leaders met in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, for the 43rd Pacific Islands Forum Meeting[2]. Specifically, the Leaders endorsed the Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration (PLGED), annex 1 of the 43rd Communique, which included promises to ending violence against women, ensure reproductive health planning, encourage gender parity in schools and ensure targeted support for women entrepreneurs.

However, one only needs to be a woman in the South Pacific to know that such declarations and promises have yet to reach them or are ineffective within existing community structures.

An Issue of Access

A lack of access to economic opportunities, health care and education may stem from the lack of female representation in government at the local and national level. It is a continuing rhetoric in many South Pacific communities that a women’s place is in the home and not in the public domain[3], which has led to an appalling lack of female representation in Parliaments across the South Pacific.

For example, in 2016[4] women in Australia held 31.8% of the nation’s seats in Parliament. This seems quite low, but not as poor as the female representation in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the Pacific. For example, women in the Cook Islands (Polynesia) held 17% of the nation’s seats in Parliament, while women in the Federated States of Micronesia and Vanuatu (Melanesia) held no seats.

One reason why women in SIDS have such low representation in government is due to existing social and cultural structures. Vanuatu, for example, has prevailing social and cultural perceptions of male-lead leadership[5], which has led to no women in parliament despite an increase in the number of women participating as candidates and publically questioning results. It has also resulted in very few male advocates for gender policy.

‘I was raised in an environment [in Malekula] where the man has power, but I always noticed  that women worked harder than men. Usually in decision making, the women just hang back and let the men do things. I don’t agree with this though. Men are the ones who always go to the meetings, and then nothing ever changes. This is because the wrong people are going. Women are always so silent in decision making. Even though they have good ideas, they just stay back. We really need to change women’s mindset and help them to see where they can contribute…we really need to have equal participation of men and women.’

– Male Leader, Malekula Vanuatu[6]. 

Improving the status of women requires significant social change, not just policy decisions. There is significant resource to show that when there are women in leadership, issues affecting women, youth and children are better addressed[7].

There needs to be a deeper understanding from the public donating to NGOs working in the South Pacific, and these organizations themselves, around the social and cultural complexities facing women in the South Pacific.

Aiding the South Pacific

It seems that every few years, there are new meetings, committees and development goals[8] that attempt to address the status of women across the world. Communities of the South Pacific need less western intervention and more western understanding when attempting to aid women in this region.

“For centuries, Third World women, other black women and working-class women have struggled against double or triple exploitation. As a Kanak, I disagree strongly with the liberal feminist view that “we are all women facing the same problem against male supremacy’ .”

– Susanna Ounei-Small, Kanaky (New Caledonia), 1995[9].

While we too are Pacific women, here on the west coast of Canada, it is important to note that gender inequality takes different forms for women depending on their circumstances. Factors such as race, age, location and the structure of local communities have a tremendous difference in the form and severity of gender inequality. It is a mistake to homogenize the experiences of women from across the world, as different contexts bring about different degrees of oppression.

The Complex Narrative Around the Status of Women

A balance between international development and understanding local community structures must be made in order to effectively aid women of the South Pacific.

It is important to note that a complex dichotomy between western or state law and community traditions exists in many regions of the Pacific, such as kastom law in Vanuatu[10]. It is likewise important to know that community structures vastly differ within SIDS of the Pacific. This makes it essential for groups seeking to effectively work with women to be aware of the complex structure of communities in the South Pacific and the expected role of women in these communities.

The South Pacific has been touched by centuries of colonial influence and intervention. This makes it hard to determine whether the gender hierarchy that can be seen in Pacific communities has been shaped by the influence of patriarchal institutions over the course of western development or not[11].

While many states in the South Pacific, including Vanuatu, Kiribati and Samoa, have been acceded[12] into the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)[13], aid initiatives still play a vital role in the region due to continuing violence against women[14].

Targeted women’s resources that have been implemented in the South Pacific include women’s networks, cooperatives and centers, safe houses and helplines. Women’s centers and cooperatives, specifically, act as legal information hubs and as an informal platform for women to share ideas. They also act as safe spaces for women[15].

‘This woman has never used the state system, so she doesn’t understand the processes. But she knows about the VWC [Vanuatu Women’s Centre] and domestic violence issues, and she knows that women should go to the Women’s Centre when they are facing these kinds of issues.’

– Researcher (Commenting on a female respondent in Central Malekula)[16].

Women’s centers and cooperatives can act as the “middle ground” for women seeking council on domestic violence and health issues that neither community law or state law has been able to address successfully[17].

Women’s centers and cooperatives can also act as a social change mechanism to compliment gender policy. It takes time to change attitudes and behaviors of people. Policy such as the Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration (PLGED) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) have put in place guidelines for independent nations to abide by, while women’s networks and cooperatives are addressing the immediate needs of women in the South Pacific.

 

Taking Action

The fundamental issue is how women are perceived in their societies. Violence against women, lack of economic opportunities, under-representation in leadership and limited access to healthcare and education are all symptoms of gender inequality. These are all the same thread that women share, to varying degrees, around the globe.

Supporting women, all women, is crucial to raise the status of women in the South Pacific. Have conversations about gender equality. Educate yourself on the obstacles women face, particularly in South Pacific communities. Seek out NGOs who are making the priorities of women their focus.

References:

  1. United Nations Women, ‘Women’s leadership and political participation’ http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/leadership-and-political-participation

  1. Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (2012) Forty-Third Pacific Islands Forum Rarotonga, Cook Islands 28-30 August 2012. http://www.forumsec.org/resources/uploads/attachments/documents/2012%20Forum%20Communique,%20Rarotonga,%20Cook%20Islands%2028-30%20Aug1.pdf.

  2. Whittington, S., Ospina, S., & Pollard, A. A. E. (2006) Women in Government in Solomon Islands: A Diagnostic Study. Honiara: RAMSI. http://www.pacwip.org/resources/uploads/attachments/documents/WID%20Solomon%20Islands%20Diagnostc%20Study%20-%202006.pdf .

  1. The Pacific Island Forum Secretariat (2016) Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration Trend Assessment Report 2012-2016. PIFS Cataloguing-in-Publication. ISBN 978-982-202-047-2. http://www.aidsdatahub.org/sites/default/files/publication/Pacific_Leaders_Gender_Equality_Declaration_2016.pdf. Pages 21, 25, 29 and 77.
  1. The Pacific Island Forum Secretariat (2016) Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration Trend Assessment Report 2012-2016. PIFS Cataloguing-in-Publication. ISBN 978-982-202-047-2. http://www.aidsdatahub.org/sites/default/files/publication/Pacific_Leaders_Gender_Equality_Declaration_2016.pdf. Page 75.
  1. The Policing and Justice Support Program (2016) Conflict Management and Access to Justice in Rural Vanuatu. http://www.mjcs.gov.vu/images/stretem_rod/Conflict_Management_and_A2J_in_Rural_Vanuatu.pdf. Pages 113.
  1. Crawford, J. & Fairhurst, R. (2014) “What do women and men in Fiji think about women in politics? New insights on where change is happening”, Devpolicy Blog, November 19th, http://devpolicy.org/what-do-women-and-men-in-fiji-think-about-women-in-politics-new-insights-on-where-change-is-happening-20141119/.
  1. United Nations General Assembly (2015) Sustainable Development Goals. http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/.
  1. Ounei-Small, S. (1995) “Decolonising Feminism” in Tok Blong Pasifik Vol. 49 #2 June 1995. Page 20. https://archive.pacificpeoplespartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/49-2-Tok-Blong-Pasifik-June-1995-m.pdf .
  1. The Policing and Justice Support Program (2016) Conflict Management and Access to Justice in Rural Vanuatu. http://www.mjcs.gov.vu/images/stretem_rod/Conflict_Management_and_A2J_in_Rural_Vanuatu.pdf. Page 6.
  1. Campbell, I. C. (1989) A history of the Pacific Islands. University of California Press. Berkley and Los Angeles. https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Ex7jr346fZUC&oi=fnd&pg=PA6&dq=settler+influence+south+pacific+islands&ots=mA7NI9DVwp&sig=hoMwMyCLp1RvVNfjCipRQ2N1lkk#v=onepage&q=settler%20influence%20south%20pacific%20islands&f=false.
  2. United Nations Children’s Fund (1999) Introduction to the Convention on the Rights of the Child: Definition of Key Terms. https://www.unicef.org/french/crc/files/Definitions.pdf.
  3. UN General Assembly (1979) The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/text/econvention.htm.
  4. Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development (2016) Annual Progress Report 2015-2016: Supporting the Pacific Leaders’ Gender Equality Declaration. http://pacificwomenreport.org/. Page 38.
  5. George, N. (2012) Situating Women: Gender Politics and Circumstances in Fiji. ANU E Press. Canberra. https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwibj9Cp5-rRAhVEy2MKHfBwAKYQFggtMAM&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.oapen.org%2Fdownload%3Ftype%3Ddocument%26docid%3D459879&usg=AFQjCNE4KSJKRsZsbDoVbGur9hpfQZxskg. Page 21.
  6. The Policing and Justice Support Program (2016) Conflict Management and Access to Justice in Rural Vanuatu. http://www.mjcs.gov.vu/images/stretem_rod/Conflict_Management_and_A2J_in_Rural_Vanuatu.pdf. Page 127.
  7. The Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2015) ‘Case study: Vanuatu Women’s Centre works in partnership with the police to eliminate violence against women’. November 26. http://dfat.gov.au/news/news/Pages/vanuatu-womens-centre-works-in-partnership-with-policy-to-eliminate-vaw.aspx.

[1] United Nations Women, ‘Women’s leadership and political participation’.

[2] Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (2012) Forty-Third Pacific Islands Forum Rarotonga, Cook Islands 28-30 August 2012.

[3] Whittington, S., Ospina, S., & Pollard, A. A. E. (2006) Women in Government in Solomon Islands: A Diagnostic Study. Honiara: RAMSI.

[4] The Pacific Island Forum Secretariat (2016) Pacific Leaders gender Equality Declaration Trend Assessment Report 2012-2016. Pg. 21, 25, 29 and 77.

[5] The Pacific Island Forum Secretariat (2016) Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration Trend Assessment Report 2012-2016. Page 75.

[6] The Policing and Justice Support Program (2016) Conflict Management and Access to Justice in Rural Vanuatu. Page 113.

[7] Crawford, Joanne & Fairhurst, Rachel (2014) “What do women and men in Fiji think about women in politics? New insights on where change is happening”.

[8] United Nations General Assembly (2015) Sustainable Development Goals.

[9] Ounei-Small, S. (1995) “Decolonising Feminism”.

[10] The Policing and Justice Support Program (2016) Conflict Management and Access to Justice in Rural Vanuatu. Page 6.

[11] Campbell, I. C. (1989) A history of the Pacific Islands.

[12] United Nations Children’s Fund (1999) Introduction to the Convention on the Rights of the Child: Definition of Key Terms.

[13] UN General Assembly (1979) The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

[14] Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development (2016) Annual Progress Report 2015-2016: Supporting the Pacific Leaders’ Gender Equality Declaration.

[15] George, N. (2012) Situating Women: Gender Politics and Circumstances in Fiji. Page 21.

[16] The Policing and Justice Support Program (2016) Conflict Management and Access to Justice in Rural Vanuatu. Page 127.

[17] The Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2015) ‘Case study: Vanuatu Women’s Centre works in partnership with the police to eliminate violence against women’.

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