Violence against women is undeniably a global problem. While women in all societies are affected, the violence experienced by women in the Pacific has generally been given little attention by the international community. However, a report released by Australia's Foreign Aid Agency, AusAID, in late 2008, has put the spotlight on the steps being taken to address violence against women and girls in five of Australia's neighbouring countries: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and East Timor.

The AusAid study gathered input from over 700 individuals from government, international organizations and NGOs. Like elsewhere around the global, the most common forms of violence against women in the countries studied are physical, psychological, sexual and economic.  

The AusAID report also discusses the serious consequences of violence for women's health and well-being, ranging from fatal outcomes (such as homicide, suicide and AIDS-related deaths) to non-fatal outcomes. This includes a range of detrimental affects for women's reproductive health such as gynecological problems, unwanted pregnancy, miscarriage, low birth weight of children and sexual dysfunction. The report also notes how sexual abuse in childhood and adolescence is also associated with higher risk of subsequent victimization, early sexual activity, substance abuse and multiple sexual partners.  

The specific impact of the different customary practices in these five countries is also analyzed. Together with underling economic inequality, these practices undermine the ability of women to protect themselves and seek justice. Where a bride price is paid, which is common in all the countries studied, except Fiji, women may worry about having to return the money to the husband's family, hindering them from seeking support, protection and redress. Interestingly, in some communities of Papuan New Guinean, where demanding a bride price was not a traditional custom, the practice has been newly adopted as a way of demanding cash for young daughters. In Vanuatu, even the Government's policy paper on violence against women admits that many women consider violence to be a natural part of family life. When it comes to divorce, the interpretation of customary law in Vanuatu, tends to leave custody of children to the husband's family, despite custody laws specifying that cases should be decided "in the best interests of the child." This often leaves women unwilling to risk loss of her children if she separates from her husband.

This report is not the first to advocate against stereotyping about the nature of domestic violence experienced by women in different communities. The Asian and Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence tries to highlight the ways in which the specific  experiences of Asian and Pacific Islander women differ from elsewhere around the globe. A number of examples are given, including multiple abusers in the home (mothers-, fathers-, brothers-, sisters-in-law, ex-or new wives, adult siblings) and  women experiencing "push" factors ("leave the house, give me a divorce, I can always find another wife," etc.) more frequently than ‘pull' factors ("come back to me, I love you," etc.).

In addition to the influence of patriarchal cultures, in several of these countries, including Fiji and the Solomon Islands, women have suffered years of sexual violence during ethnic conflicts. The Fiji Women's Crisis Center also reports that cultural and religious fundamentalism is on the rise in Fiji and in the Pacific, with many chiefs reinforcing the traditional role of women as primary caregivers and homemakers. The Crisis Center also raises concerns that sexual assault and violence against women is condoned, reporting incidence of violence is discouraged and many religious leaders counsel women that it is a sin to divorce or separate.

The Crisis Center is not the only group discussing the pervasive problem of lack of justice. As condemned in one report published by the Division on the Advancement of Women, in collaboration with UNICEF, in Pacific countries, rape of girl children is often unreported, particularly where perpetrated by a family member, to avoid shame on the family and the economic devaluing of the young girl, leave them without help. Traditional customary courts in Vanuatu and PNG favor reconciliation between couples without due concern for women's rights. Decisions regarding compensation also tend to favour men. There is in fact a clear culture of silencing. who are discouraged from speaking up or seeking help, with reports of covert or overt support and the lack of sanctions for perpetrators, which increases their impunity and the ongoing perpetration of violence.

Yet, the picture is not all gloomy. A range of civil society actors are working to raise awareness and to carry out women's empowerment programs, like the Alola Foundation in East Timor. In Papua New Guinea, a Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee (FSVAC), composed of 81 Committee members from Government, the private sectors, NGOs, churches and donors, has been set up to assist with law reform, distribute legal literacy materials, develop training and advocacy materials and run national awareness campaigns, especially during the global 16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women. According to one report, more than 7,000 signatures from the Pacific contributed to the almost 4 million signatures collected globally for the Say no to violence against women campaign.

Domestic violence has so many causes, the underlying one being gender inequality. We must continue to advocate for increasing empowerment of women and gender equality. Such change will necessarily start to address the impact of customary practices, the silencing of women and the lack of practical, legal and social protections for women that are perpetuating this violence.