WUNRN
TONGA - PROCESS ON DRAFTING VIOLENCE
AGAINST WOMEN LEGISLATION
Commission on the Status of
Women - 56th Session
National Statement - Delivered by Ms. Polotu Fakafanua – Paunga
Excerpts re: Violence Against Women
*In
November 2011, Government approved to draft of a Bill on Legislation on
Violence Against Women and Children, to be tabled in the 2012 Parliamentary
Session,
*The
Tonga National Study on Domestic Violence Against Women and a Community Radio
for Rural Women, will be launched on 7 March 2012, as part of the national
activities to mark International Women’s Day.
_____________________________________________________________________
Government of Tonga
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, WOMEN'S AFFAIRS & CULTURE
Media Release - March 19th
2012
Coalitions are valuable for legislative lobbying
Momentum is growing and support
for lobbying for legislation on addressing violence against women and children.
Coalitions and groups are critical to addressing legislative lobbying. The
issue of law reform on violence against women was raised at a Training Workshop on Legislative Lobbying:
Building Skills in Governance and Leadership. As part of the
training, groups identified areas for legislative reform including addressing
violence between school, support to address all forms of discrimination
including addressing legislation on violence against women and children.
The workshop follows the launching on Monday 12th March 2012 of the findings of the National Study on Domestic Violence Against Women in Tonga 2009 by Ma`a Fafine mo e Famili Inc. The Government of Tonga is committed to addressing the legislation as highlighted in the foreword by the Prime Minister of Tonga Lord Tuivakano. He said That to address violence against women, the immediate response we must have is to accept that violence against women is a crime. It is a crime that disputes our traditional values and a crime that will cause unspeakable decay to society if not addressed.
The Tongan Government has approved the
drafting of violence against women and children legislation. This push to
legislation has been the active focus of the Taskforce on Elimination of
Violence Against Women which includes government and civil society.
Attending the workshop training, one of the Violence
Against Women Task Force Members Mrs Fuiva Kavaliku, the Co-ordinator of the
Tonga National Centre for Women and Children said that knowledge of legislative
lobbying would be needed as they prepare to support legislative change on
violence against women.
Actually the value for us
is that we are able to gain the
experience for lobbying the right people in the legislation, not just gaining
the skills but to use it and to lobby for any changes. We might want to change
certain things in the law but we need to know how to lobby and to get to the
point and to be able to speak to the right people.
While the draft is being prepared she said that they
would need to continue to address the gaps when the draft legislation is
prepared.
It is draft so we have not
seen it. I understand that there will be a consultation and the challenge and
to look at the design and where are the gaps and input into the gap. Actually
it is important so we have understanding of what the law is. Understanding of
what the law provisions will contain, if we agree and accept the certain
provisions.
Coalition building and development of groups is an
important element of lobbying, that is working with like minded and a focused
coalition. The work of the task
force is valuable to this work because there are constant contact and lobbying
Crown Law and it does help them moving on instead of being in the pipeline and
continue to push and check . It speeds up the work.?
The training is a partnership with the Government
of Tonga Women's Affairs Division, Ministry of Education, Women's Affairs and
Culture, with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community Pacific Regional Rights
Resource Team (SPC/RRRT). Fiji Women's
Rights Movement (FWRM) is also facilitating and sharing the lessons from the
lobbying of the Fiji Family Law Act. Participants include representative from
women's organizations, civil society, police, church and community groups. The
main aim of the training is to equip leaders in the Pacific with knowledge and
skills on legislative change process building on knowledge of governance, civic
education, leadership and human rights.
SPC/RRRT Trainer Gina Houng Lee and Neomai Maravuakula
from FWRM facilitated the three day program. Funding for the activity is
provided by the Pacific Leadership Program. SPC/RRRT and FWRM have jointly
conducted the training in 4 countries to date. The countries include Fiji,
Vanuatu, Kiribati and Solomon Islands.