Pacific: Meeting on violence against women
11 June 2009
Fiji Times
Violence against women is a major factor contributing to the transmission of HIV and other sexually-transmitted infections in the Pacific region, says UNIFEM Pacific's Regional Program Director Elizabeth Cox.
Ms Cox said men's power over women was often expressed in intimate, sexual relationships.
"Women who insist on the use of condoms or refuse to have sex with their partner because of STIs or because they believe he might have multiple sex partners risk rejection, rape or a beating.
"So too often, they remain silent and worry about the risk of infection and pregnancy," she said.
She said women also were the first of the partners to be tested against HIV at the ante-natal clinics.
If diagnosed positive, women bear the brunt of the blame and suffer severe social and economic consequences regardless of how faithful they have been, said Ms Cox.
She said there needed to be an understanding of gender, human rights and the link between violence against women and HIV transmission.
Also at the meeting, Maere Tekanene, a Kiribati participant said the narrowness of criminal laws to cater for specific forms of violence against women and girls, apart from assault, remained a major concern. She said it was challenging to convince male leaders 'of the reliability of alarming statistics on violence against women'.
'Apart from male attitudes, some women accept violence perpetrated against them, blaming themselves,' she said.
The Tonga National Centre for Women and Children (TNCWC), the main organisation for survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse, has received 102 domestic violence cases, six sexual violence cases and four child abuse reports since January.
