CAPITULO III EVIDENCIA CONSTATADA DE LA RELACION DE APORTES VOLUNTARIOS Y
III- Marco de Gestión
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UN Women https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx0-4bfIxqk•
European Union International Cooperation and Development https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/ countries/fiji_en?qt-node_tabs_country_=1#qt-node_tabs_country_•
RRRT http://www.spc.int/rrrt/country-activities/fiji•
FWCC http://www.pacificwomen.org/pacific-links/fiji-womens-crisis-centre/•
FWCC – Somebody’s Life, Everybody’s Business http://fijiwomen.com/wp-content/ uploads/2014/11/1.pdf•
Fiji Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation http://www.welfare-women.gov.fj•
Crime Statistics Fiji http://www.statsfiji.gov.fj/index.php/other-statistics/53-other-statistics/ crime/129-crimes-offences•
UNFPA http://countryoffice.unfpa.org/pacific/•
Violence Free Communities http://www.fiji.gov.fj/Search.aspx?searchtext=violence+free+communities&searchmode=AnyWord
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UN Women Multi-Country Offices Fiji•
http://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/countries/fiji•
House of Sarah – Pacific Fund Grantee•
http://www.unwomen.org/~/media/field%20office%20eseasia/docs/unwomen-pac%20fund%20 brief%20pdf.ashx?v=1&d=20141202T12032Kiribati is comprised of 33 islands located in the Central Pacific. The islands
are characteristically low lying atolls and lack land and vegetation and
because of the smallness and low elevation of the islands, they are also highly susceptible to sea level rise and other climate change effects. The lack of land and salt water intrusion influences the type of vegetation on the islands and also limits people from growing a variety of food plants. Most of the plants grown on the islands, particularly on south Tarawa include pumpkin, banana, pawpaw and breadfruit trees and cabbage which are mainly grown in wooden boxes. Pandanus and coconut trees grow everywhere on the island because of their ability to withstand saltwater. However, the means of subsistence for the majority of people living on south Tarawa are limited to a few cultivated fruit trees and plants and fisheries resources, but most of them rely heavily on imported foods particularly rice and canned food. Kiribati per capita gross domestic product (GDP) is among the lowest in the Pacific. The main sources of revenue for the country are derived from fishing licensing with limited revenues from copra and remittances and about 90 percent of the country’s national revenue is spent on food and fuel alone. South Tarawa, the capital of Kiribati is centre to all major economic, political and social activities and it is also where half of the country’s population resides. In 2015, the total population of the country was estimated to be 104,607. The high concentration of population on south Tarawa has an increased rate of unemployment, crimes and overpopulation. About 21.8 percent of the people live below the poverty line, which means that one fifth of the households are struggling to meet basic living expenses.
Kiribati is largely a patrilineal society where men are traditionally dominant in leadership roles, decision making in the families and communities, and are heads of households. Due to men’s superior roles, they are accorded particular respect, while women are expected to be submissive to whatever the men say and comply with the social obligations they are expected to perform. The relationships and roles between men and women in Kiribati are culturally differentiated. Men are the main providers and protectors of the family, while women’s roles are comprised of household chores, child rearing and caring for the family. Silence is observed by women during
social or village gatherings and they are not allowed to speak openly or
voice their opinions during such events. When women fail to perform their social obligations as expected or raise their voices and try to overpower their husbands, fathers, and elders in the community; they are often disciplined by being physically beaten up.
Kiribati
Physical beating has traditionally and is still observed by I- Kiribati people as a form of disciplining and is usually practiced on children at a very young age. When a child does something wrong or bad, he or she is usually smacked to indicate that what he or she did or said was wrong and therefore must be punished. Smacking them is used as a form of disciplining and also to generate fear in order to prevent them from committing the same wrong act. At times, parents apply other physical punishments besides smacking such as pulling the child’s hair or ear, or yelling at them while smacking them uncontrollably, or even slapping their heads and this is common throughout Kiribati. Due to the fact that is viewed as a form of disciplining, the physical and psychological effects of this form of punishment on children are usually undermined.
The same concept of disciplining is applied to women who are considered inferior to men. When women act against men, the physical form of punishment is also applied to discipline them. However, not all forms of disciplining involve physical violence, others would verbally and emotionally abuse women to hurt them or put them to shame for failing to comply with social obligations or for committing an offence.
However, in situations where violence is committed against women at home or elsewhere, it uncommon for victims to report the case due to social and cultural pressures from families and to safeguard the family’s reputation. Domestic violence is considered a private matter for I-Kiribati families which should be resolved within the family. Outside interference and assistance is often not accepted. Kiribati has just recently implemented Te Rau n Te Mwenga Act that became a law in 2014 to address issues of discrimination and gender-based violence (GBV).
For many years, the level of violence against women in Kiribati remained unknown due to the lack of reliable data and information. This strongly encouraged the Kiribati government through the Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs (MISA), today known as Ministry of Women, Youth and Social Affairs (MWYSA) and the National Statistics Office (NSO) to undertake a survey in 2008 on the state of violence against women and children in the country.
The survey: the Kiribati Family Health and Support Study (KFHSS) was implemented by the South Pacific Commission (SPC) to quantify the prevalence of violence against women and children in Kiribati, and also to identify the most common form of violence and strategies that can be implemented to address them (Kingi and Roguski 2011). The Study was conducted in the southern and northern Kiribati islands including the Phoenix and Line islands. Not all the islands in Kiribati were covered but 2,000 households were randomly selected throughout Kiribati for the survey.
The survey revealed that 68 percent of the women in Kiribati were reported to have experienced at least one act of physical or sexual violence. About 35
percent of women who experience intimate partner abuse have been victims of both forms of violence. The most common forms of violence reported by most of the women include being slapped or have something thrown at them, being pushed and hit with the fist or an object. About 46 percent of the women experienced severe physical violence rather than moderate physical violence. Half of the women who reported having experienced physical or sexual violence had at least being injured once.
Almost 90 percent of the women between the age of 15 and 49 who have had partners reported experiencing at least one form of controlling behaviour by their intimate partners. The most common factors that lead to intimate partner violence are jealousy, disobedience of women to their partners and alcohol. In total, about 73 percent of women between the age of 15 and 49 have at least experienced some form of physical or sexual violence by their partners.
• The government of Kiribati has taken initiatives to address Gender Inequality and Eliminate Sexual and Gender Based (ESGBV) Violence in the country.
• In 2004, Kiribati ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The initial State report was due in 2005 but compliance reporting has been very slow and articles of the Convention have yet to be incorporated into the legislation; however, the non-compliance of the customary law with CEDAW is still a major concern (Kingi and Roguski 2011). On the national level, the government has played an active role in the implementation of polices that empower women and supports the elimination of violence against women and children across the country and is still actively involved today.
• In 2005, the Family and Sexual Offences (FASO) Unit now known as Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences (DVSO) was established as part of the Tarawa Police headquarters through the Pacific Regional Policing Initiative.
• On November 25, 2006, Kiribati commemorated the first National White Ribbon Day which was followed by 16 days of campaign on violence against women. White Ribbon is Australian’s national male led campaign to end violence against women and is commemorated on 25 November every year.
• In 2007, the White Ribbon day was commemorated by 16 days of advocacy on the Elimination of Violence against women.
• In 2008, the Kiribati Family, Health and Support Survey (KFHSS) was conducted by the Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs (MISA) known today as the Ministry of
COUNTRY SNAP-SHOT
Kiribati gained its Independence in 1979. It is a member of ACP, PIF, MSG, UN
Population: 104,607 (ADB Report 2015) Demographics: Women: 50.4 % Men: 49.6 % Landmass : 810 sq.km EEZ: 3,550,000 SQ.KM
EU SNAP-SHOT
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There are currently no EU funded projects on Discrimination and Gender based violence in KiribatiWomen, Youth and Social Affairs (MWYSA) with assistance from the South Pacific Commission (SPC) and the Pacific Prevention of Domestic Violence Programme (PPDVP).
• In 2010, results from the KFHSS were released which showed alarming rates of GBV in Kiribati. This triggered the implementation on action plans to eliminate violence against women.
• In 2011, the National Elimination on Sexual and Gender Based Violence (ESGBV) Policy was developed along with a National Action Plan to support the implementation of the policy.
• In 2012, the MWYSA developed a Shared Implementation Plan (SHIP) that included both internal and external key stakeholders to assist with the implementation of the National Policy and Action Plan and to address issues of sexual and gender based violence in the country.
• In 2014, the Te Rau n Te Mwenga Act (Family Peace Act) was implemented.
Women and the Law
• Despite the ratification of CEDAW in 2004 and other anti-discrimination provisions, these do not include sex as a protected ground, which means that discrimination against women in Kiribati is theoretically legal and laws which discriminate against women cannot be held to be unconstitutional. The common laws that require evidence of physical resistance in order to establish the absence of sexual consent are still applied.
Women and Economy
• The country of Kiribati has a subsistence economy supported by a small labor force. In 2006, 6.6 percent of women were recorded as unemployed but records showed 3.8 percent of women engaged in agricultural activities in 2012. Since 2007, more than 50 percent of the women comprised the workforce but only a third of them occupy paid jobs. There is however an increase in the number of girls at both secondary and tertiary schools, with more girls in education than boys but women are still highly under-represented at all levels of decision making. Women have limited access to opportunities and resources even though some of them are traditionally entitled to inherit land and properties. They are often restricted to responsibilities such as meeting traditional and social obligations and carrying out housekeeping and childcare responsibilities.
• There is a lack of funding and initiatives to support women in business in Kiribati. Most of the women in employment are involved privately in family businesses while others engage in small marketing businesses of cooked foods, fruits or the sale of fish.
Women in Leadership
• In 2012, 4 women were elected to Parliament but since then, no women have been elected to Parliament.
Violence against Women
• In Kiribati, an overall 73 percent of women have been reported to have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence, of which 68 percent of women between the ages of 15-49 are reported as experiencing either physical and sexual violence, or both by their intimate partners. Around one in five women aged 14-49 had experienced physical or sexual violence by a non-partner. Around 90 percent of women were reported to experience some form of controlling behaviour, and 31.4 percent had experienced rape involving physical force and 41.1 percent had sex with a partner because they were afraid.
This study is an anthropological analysis of how gender based violence is conceptualized in Kiribati in relation to cultural traditions on domestic violence and newly introduced Laws on discrimination and violence against women.
The study was carried out over a period of two and half weeks on south
Tarawa where the majority of the population resides. It involved interviews with key stakeholders who have been involved in the implementation of national policies and action plans and also those who have been highly engaged in the facilitation of various projects and awareness programmes to try and address the issue of GBV in the country.
The study also involves a review of published materials on implemented policies and action plans in Kiribati. The lack of data on domestic violence cases in Kiribati is a drawback to the study. The MWYSA has just recently implemented a Safenet that works in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Police that operates as a database gathering data and information on domestic violence cases throughout the country while at the same time tries to improve services and assistance to victims. It was quite difficult to conduct specific case studies on GBV victims or even consult individually with them because this issue was treated as a private matter and therefore was not talked about openly by those involved. Although, I was informed informally by some people who have heard and witnessed incidences of domestic violence, it was quite difficult as an outsider to approach the victims and talk to them about the domestic violence they had experienced.
Given the short period of time spent on the island, it was also impossible to work closely with the Police and Women’s Crisis Centre on the issues of GBV and