Towards A Rights Based Approach In Pacific

Towards A Rights Based Approach In Pacific Communities For The Achievement Of MDGs

PRESS RELEASES:

31 August 2010

[Melbourne- August 31] Improving the attitudes and behaviours towards children, women, and persons with disability by working alongside them within their communities are some of the most effective ways of ensuring health and wellbeing in the Pacific Islands.

The prevalence of violence against women and children generated through unequal gender and power relations need to be urgently addressed in order ensure their health and security.

This was identified at a workshop held at the 63rd United Nations Department of Public Information/NGO Conference currently underway in Melbourne.

The workshop discussed the work of Pacific Island Non Government Organisations in the areas of health protection and promotion and highlighted examples of how community led initiatives need to address not only health issues, but factors like social, economic, cultural and political environments and gender inequality.

Presenting at the workshop were Pacific NGOs members of the Pacific Regional NGO Alliance (PRNGOs) which work both at the community level and advocate at a policy level for effective investment that address both the causes and consequences of ill health.

Disabled Women: Triple Discrimination

Margaret Eastgate who represented Pacific Disability Forum said that changing the mind sets of Pacific people towards and a disability inclusive approach was key to addressing disability issues.

“Pacific women who are disabled face triple discrimination – one because of their gender, the other discrimination because of their disability and thirdly because they are considered to be the poorest in the society,” said Ms Eastgate.

She said that many disabled women did not know their rights and did not have access to appropriate health services to meet their specific needs.

It is necessary to work with communities and organizations led and managed by people with disabilities, she said.

Working Through Children to Engage Communities

Chandra Shekhar, the Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children Fiji, emphasized that in order for mothers and children to access health services, health workers need to take their services into communities, if the health related Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) are to be achieved.

“A nation’s progress is dependant on the health of its people and promoting good health starts with children. Save the Children works with children, parents and communities to promote early education. This is also an entry point for us to promote access to safe water and good health practices.”

He said that hardship faced by marginalized communities led to children’s needs being compromised and cited that in many cases were not taken to hospital when they needed medical attention.

“Partnerships with the Ministry of Health have ensured medical clinics going into these communities and getting appropriate attention for children and the sick members of the communities.”

Advocating for a Rights Based Approach

Fiji Women Crisis Centre’s Edwina Kotoisuva emphasised that strong and consistent advocacy was needed to advance women’s rights and address unequal gender relations, if issues of violence against women and gender based violence were to be meaningfully addressed.

“Women are seen as the property of a man – whether it is her father or her husband – and this is used to as a reason for violence against women,” said Ms Kotoisuva.

Other attitudes that contributed to violence were that domestic violence was inappropriately viewed as a private matter or as “keeping women in their place.”

“Advocacy to change and mindsets against violence against women needs to be strong and consistent,” she said.

In summarizing the workshop, facilitator, Margaret Leniston Regional Health Programme Manager at the Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific International (FSPI) said a human rights based integrated community approach and investing in health promotion behavior change programmes in communities could positively contribute to the achievement of the MDGs.

“The most effective community based programmes are those which use integrated health and human rights based approaches and include collaboration, sharing of resources, capacity support, knowledge and skills between NGOs, governments, regional and UN agencies”.

The presenters at this workshop have been supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Centre and AusAID.

ENDS