Violence against women in Melanesia and East Timor: Building on global and regional promising practices

Mary Ellsberg, Ph.D.Vice President, Health and Developmentmellsberg@icrw.org

Study led by PATH under contract to AUSAID

Mary Ellsberg, formerly of PATH Chris Bradley, independent consultantAndrew Egan, AUSAIDAmy Haddad, AUSAID

Participatory review of promising practices in GBV in Melanesia and East Timor

• Goal is to contribute to evidence base on what works and what doesn’t in GBV programming based on experiences in Melanesia and East Timor

• Provide lessons learned from the region and recommendations to AUSAID and governments for strengthening and scaling up support to promising interventions in the region

What’s working and what’s not?

• Innovative solutions- what contributed to their success?

• Where are the gaps?• How to strengthen GBV work and scale up

promising practices?• What lessons can be applied to other settings?

Methodology• Document Review• Field visits of international team – 5-9 days

per country

– Interviews with key informants– Focus Group Discussions with a broad cross section of

different individuals and sectors that come into contact with GBV issues and programs

– Creation of Advisory Groups in each country

Over 700 individuals participated

• Focus groups and interviews with:

– Magistrates, public solicitors, police– Women’s crisis centers, churches, women activists– Government officials (MoH, MSW, MWA)– Donors, UN agencies, INGOs– Community men and women, youth groups, beneficiaries of

programs

Participatory methods used

• Free listing and ranking• Timelines• Open ended stories• Venn Diagrams• Organizational mapping

What do we need to change?

Venn Diagram

Who can help Leila? (domestic violence case) Venn diagram by FWCC staff, Suva

Hospital

Church Groups

Friend

FAMILY

the women come here after they’ve tried everything elseGive her counseling, and discuss if she feels safe to go home, or back to her relatives. If she’s badly bruised, We take her to the government hospital for a medical report.

Some women come in and say they’ve been to the police so many times and nothing has happened.

Someone nearby who she trusts, who will listen to her… but she might tell her just think of their children, think of her family

The Family might be helpful at first and take her in for a short while. But after that, reconciliation comes in and the husband comes around and they all want her to go back to him.” “His whole family might come with him and ask for her to go back, and she can’t refuse”

They do the examination and medical report, some doctors do give them some counselling and tell them it’s their right to not be beaten.

LEILA

Crisis Center Police

They will talk about the marriage vows: “Till death do us part”.

The Road TraveledThe history of work on VAW in Vanuatu (Timelines)

1980VNCW established

1980 Independence of Vanuatu from France and England women allowed and encouraged to vote

Chiefs ruling about women wearing trousers

1985 Nairobi Conference

1995CEDAW and CRC ratified

1999Family Protection Bill submitted (still not passed)

2006Women’s national Plan developed by DWA

1992VWCC established

1995Setting up Department of Women’s affairs

Stakeholder mapping

Who’s working on GBV in Vanuatu? Who’s missing? (stakeholder mapping)

Dept womens affairs

Bilaterals AUSAID, NZD

Public solicitor

Local provincial government

Judiciary

Fiji women’s crisis center

Police

CAVAWS

Church

Vanuatu youth center

chiefs

USPOXFAM

PWNAVAW

Community legal center

Malvatumauri Council of chiefs

Media

VANGO

Education department

Health department

RRRT

UNIFEM, UNAIDS, UNICEF, UNPFA

Vanuatu council of churches

international

Not involved

NGOs

Goverments

Pacific children’s program

Developing a Blueprint for Action

• Findings analyzed together with local researchers and TAG members in a regional workshop in PNG

• Recommendations developed through consensus-based process

• Report vetted by local TAG members

Some final reflections…

Local women’s leadership must be recognized and nurtured

Working with traditional culture, not against it

• Committees against Violence against Women (Vanuatu) works closely with traditional chiefs and encourages dialogue with formal justice system

• Wan Smol Bag – theater group encourages reflection on meaning of local customs

Engaging is new partnerships is critical for changing community norms

– Church groups (Weavers)

– Trauma and peace building activities (Kup Women for Peace, PNG, Sols)

– Sports

– Health sector

– Schools

Men and boys as allies…

Sharing knowledge and experiences is key!

• Beijing Conference

• Visit of Puntos de Encuentro to East Timor

• Pacific delegation to Rio Conference on Men and Boys