Issu e 9, Oct / N o v / D ec 2010

Mo’ui Ke Fiefia WOMEN AND CHILDREN CRISIS CENTRE NEWSLETTER Creating a Kingdom that is violence free

Statistics Jan-Dec 2010

Mālō e Lelei! ‘ Of aki l evuk a Gu tt en bei l - Lik il i ki , WCCC Di recto r

In our last newsletter edition, I had mentioned that the chances of females getting into parliament during the elections were pretty slim. Unfortunately, no female candidates got in at all on the day of elections. What I do believe the results have proven though is that its time for some affirmative action policies – the problem is however, not many people understand how it works.

335 clients have come to WCCC for refuge Women =

267

Children =

48

Male clients =

20

Affirmative action policies support special temporary measures. The key word is „temporary.‟ It puts in place specially reserved seats for women representatives to Parliament over a certain period, let‟s say 3 parliamentary sessions . Full Story

Strong FWC sermon calls for Christians to stop the violence The General Secretary for the Free Weslyan Church, Tevita Havea, performed a special sermon on the last Sunday of the 16 days of activism against Violence Against Women. The 16 days of activism against violence spanned November 25 – December 10 and celebrates relevant historical dates that mark the progress to improve the plight of women‟s human rights. Rvd. Havea spoke directly to the congregation to stop Violence Against Women saying “violence is not ok”. He drew on several parts of the Gospel of Matthew to talk about the importance of stakeholders who provide much needed services for those who are survivors of violence, and urged those who are Christian to work to stop violence in our communities. Havea spoke directly to those who are committing violence or those who know others who are committing violence, urging them to take action to make the violence stop Full story

The convenience of turning a blind eye to the female door mat Women‟s shoulder a vital if not the bulk of activities whose outcome is the feeding of the Tongan population. They plant, weed, harvest and manage food stores although these are mistakenly attributed to be mainly toils and executions by men. Women undertake most of the cooking and preparing the feeding of everyone else involved in farming be these subsistence or cash generating. These being on top of their other unpaid occupation as the household doctor and family health manager, child care and full time night security while male farmers gather in night kava consumption ovals planning and boasting of harvests past and anticipated. We also know very well that although funerals at the health inequity resulting in unfortunate health circumstance among women family relative, friends. Full story

Tonga’s WCCC receives Pacific Human Rights Award The Tonga Women and Children Crisis Centre (WCCC) has received a RRRT/ SPC Human Rights Award for advancing gender equality in the Pacific. Issued by the Regional Rights Resource Team and the Secretariat of the Pacific Counsel in partnership with the Fiji Women‟s Crisis Centre, WCCC jointly won the organisation category wand was awarded a cash prize of $5,000 FJD. The individual category of the Human Rights Awards was won by Jacqui Koroi (Fiji) for her focus on working on the rights of young women, Lily Kolts Be'Soer (Papua New Guinea) for peace initiatives and highlighting the impact of conflict on women and children and Sainimili Tawake (Fiji) for leadership, commitment and promotion of issues of women and girls with disabilities. The centre has only just celebrated its first birthday . Team leader of the Mo‟ui ke Fiefia Safe House, Sr Anunisia Fifita experienced the journey as WCCC became an independent NGO, with 335 clients seeking refuge from abuse during the year. Full Story

Why would he lie?

First hand account of violence from a client of WCCC

We had been dating for two months when the first incident happened. I was a virgin and he was very respectful that I did not want to sleep with him. In this time he did not force me to have sex, which really impressed me. I thought he was a very good man. I knew he did not have a good past. But I felt like I was here to help him. Bruising and swelling from severe beating to the Sometimes I can‟t believe that I have lived inside left thigh through this experience. I cannot believe that it is me who has made these decisions. But this has been my journey and I would like others to learn from it. My father had died only a few days beforehand. I turned up to his house in my van with an envelope with the money for my father‟s funeral in it – thousands of Pa‟angas. He offered me a drink while we were talking. – I only had one, but I got so drunk that I completely blacked out and woke up hours later feeling strange. There were like five or six men drinking outside his house and he‟s gone in my van with my purse with the money in it. I usually drink and it takes Full story

Unreported cases on the rise Since July 2010, the women and Children Crisis Centre has seen an increase in the number of unreported cases coming to the centre. Unreported domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse cases now account for 20% of the centre’s total cases. Unreported cases are those that are not referred to the Crisis Centre from the Police. The longest staff member, Counsellor Susana „Utahafe, puts this down to a change in methodology. “we started a new direction – „think local‟. We started to visit house to house in our communities. We talked about the services at the centre, and educated any one who was interested about what counselling is. I was amazed – I have known most of these people my whole life. But the number of clients we received was a considerable increase. Now we have made it a regular part of our services at WCCC to provide home visits” said Susana. Full story

Nov 25 – not just election day! November 25 was more than the beginning of a new political era for Tonga – it was also the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism Against Violence Against Women in which a series of important dates are celebrated to promote human rights for all. In an address to a father and son prayer breakfast to mark InternaPrayer Breakfast at Cafe Escape to begin the 16 Days of tional Day Against Violence Against Activism Against Gender Violence Women, Police Commander Chris Kelley pointed out that Ministry of Police crime statistics indicate that the streets are safer than some people‟s homes. The International event is White Ribbon Day, which acknowledges Full Story

Innovative uses of media to empower women The Crisis Centre has been producing innovative TV spots, documentaries and short films to promote the experiences of women and children in Tonga. “Sometimes we are too shy and we are unable to voice out our opinions. That‟s what this documentary is about” begins Girls Ask, which aired young girls concerns to candidates in light of Tonga‟s historic elections. Shown in a specialist viewing to candidates with a talanoa session between the girls and candidates afterwards, the documentary aims to get decision makers to understand the concerns of young girls who vote for them. Aired on TV2, the documentary covered issues such as the need to amend Tonga‟s rape laws, nepotism in the employment of Government Teachers and the impact that a lack of access to education can have on society. The documentary is available online and upon request, and will be used to continue to campaign for the rights of young girls. The centre won second prize in the Tonga Family Health World Aids Day Short Film competition for their film that urged married women not to become complacent about HIV. Full Story

WCCC staff attend RTP training “Although our culture and religious beliefs are the main obstacles in our work, we are determined to make a difference in a person‟s life”. That is what the trio that attended the Regional Training Programme (RTP) in Suva Fiji said. WCCC staff Foketi Kavapele (Safe House worker), Latai Peuafi (Counsellor) and Lesila Toi‟a (Community Education Trainer) attended the RTP training from the 4 th – 29th October. The training consisted of 38 participants from the region, namely PNG, the Solomon Islands, Nauru, Kiribati, Tonga and Fiji. It aimed to educate people about strategies to eliminate Violence Against Women and children. It was organised by the Fiji Women‟s Crisis Centre (FWCC) with FWCCC Director, Shamima Ali as the lead facilitator. All three staff members came back with a new perspective on the work they do for WCCC. It is reality, and this is what happens in everyday life for many of Tonga‟s women Full story To remove your name from our mailing list, please click here [email protected] or call us (676) 222 40