Stirring up

the band

September 1996 was an important month in the calendar of women from the Pacific’s French territories.

It was a time of awareness-raising and integration as they met for the first time with their Melanesian counterparts in New Caledonia’s Northern Province of Pouembout to discuss strategies to ensure their inclusion in the development plan ning processes of their countries and terri tories.

Strongly emerging from discussions

was the lack of female participation in national politics and in private and cus tomary life’ including the way women’s status is determined by their reproductive roles and the oppressive nature of customs and traditions.

Culture, custom and tradition have long been used as excuses for female oppression. However, it is now becoming increasingly evident that accepted aspects of today’s culture were not necessarily accepted in the days of the Pacific’s fore mothers and forefathers.

The changing roles of Pacific men and women was also an issue of debate at the

meeting, particularly in light of women’s

increasing visibility in the paid workforce

and the need to share child-rearing and household chores.

Clearly evident was the desire to see a change in the perceptions of traditional male/female roles established centuries ago, as was the need for Pacific people to adopt aspects of culture and tradition which allow for progression and not

oppression.

Another prominent feature of the week’s programme was the need for effi cient follow-up action at local and nation al levels of the recommendations of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing, China, in September 1995.

And one year after the pomp, pageantry and colour that was Beijing, Pacific women, through the Pacific Women’s Resource Bureau (PWRB), also assessed the results of Beijing and action plans at local levels.

For many activists in the global women’s movement, Beijing has become the metaphor for transformation. And while not totally perfect, the Global Platform for Action (GPA) adopted by 189 UN member states is the strongest holistic statement on equality, development and peace to emerge from any gathering of the world’s nations.

It is this road map that both interna tional and regional governments and non government organisations are looking for ward as a guide for addressing the con cerns of women, men and children at local levels.

As Belkla Abzug, president of the Women’s Environment and Development Organisation (WEDO), told the interna tional press after governments had figura tively signed on the dotted line in Beijing: “This (the GPA) is a contract with the world’s women; it may not be legally binding - but it is politically binding.”

In the latest update on international

action following Beijing, a publication

produced by WEDO entitled Beyond

Promises: Governments in Motion One Year After The Beijing Women’s Conference states: “All too often we assess actions that appear to be one step forward, two back, given the economic climate of the day. In better cases, we can point to two steps forward, one back. But this is the rhythm of dancing and why governments in motion are better bets than those which are not.”

It says whether one seeks a steady drumbeat, a hot samba, steamy salsa or formal minuet, governments must not

The Spc

Debbie

Singh

waltz around the toughest provisions in

the platform.

And it leaves it up to individuals to decide whether governments are merely going through the motions or doing a seri ous tango.

At the Pouembout workshop

Melanesian delegates reported widespread

information dissemination on the results

of the Beijing conference through public

forums, workshops, newsletters and attempts to mainstream women and gen der concerns. Delegates agreed the onus was now on both Pacific Island govern ments and non-govemment organisations to ensure that the concerns of Beijing were

implemented locally.

Pacific Island governments have in the main declared Beijing as the event which set the basis for the development of women, men and families towards the Year 2000.

Many Pacific Island Countries have put into place processes for developing a national policy on women symbolising a milestone commitment by governments as none of them had a specific national poli cy on women prior to Beijing.

Francophone delegates expressed some disappointment at their lack of par ticipation at Beijing but appreciated the opportunity to hear post-Beijing progress reports from their Melanesian counter

parts. Land ownership and legal literacy

were other issues of concern and calls were made for better protection of women under common law.

Vanuatu poet and activist Grace Molisa said: “Women make decisions on behalf of their families everyday but are seldom found in political or public life. Women must begin to take a stand using the knowledge and power with which they were bom. Power is not something women should wait for - they must utilise existing structures to gain recognition.”

The prevalence and increasing inci dence of domestic violence in the Islands was another issue discussed at length, par ticularly in light of New Caledonia’s recognition of both the common and cus tomary law systems of such conflict reso

lution. Again, the myths surrounding acts

of violence and its excuses remained the same but the discussion allowed the women to take stock of their national situ ations and appreciate their commonalties

despite differing legal systems and their

matriarchal and patriarchal societies.

The issue of inconsistent sentencing of rape and violence offenders in Melanesian countries was raised as was the problem in Wallis and Futuna of a family’s honour being paramount over a sexually abused child’s trauma.

New Caledonia reported that women in a tribal situation do not immediately report an act of violence to police and first seek a solution through customary means.

Clan elders are invited to hear and attempt to solve the problem. Women usually approach the police as a last resort or if there is dissatisfaction with the way the matter has been handled by customary law.

Kanak women agreed it was necessary to reconcile both their customary and modem roles and stated women’s seeking of common law to resolve a domestic dis pute was not an indication of the failure of customary structures but illustrated the need for them to become better adapted to a changing society.

In addition, calls were made for the establishment of effective structures to deal with the issue of gender violence in the Pacific and the need to consider vio lence as a development and human rights concern was strongly stressed. Among recommendations to deal with gender vio lence were the challenging of cultural and religious values justifying the act; the need for customary leaders to become more involved in solving acts of violence programmes dealing with violence against women; that gender training be conducted for public officers such as the judiciary, police, medical staff and other decision makers; that research and data be com piled to document the extent of violence against women in the community to assist lobbying for law reforms; and that a regional mechanism be established to monitor the status of Pacific women. But what needs to be borne in mind is that the large and interlinked world of so-called “women’s issues” makes it difficult to dis cern where to focus and what to exclude.

The global and local women’s movement has reached unprecedented levels of activism, strength and influence. Beijing gave the world the words - now it is time for the world to stir up the band and get serious about its tango. ■