UN WOMEN

FROM 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign is a time to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.

The international campaign originated from the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute coordinated by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership in 1991.

For far too long, impunity, silence and stigma have allowed violence against women to escalate to pandemic proportions—one in three women worldwide experience gender-based violence.

The time for change is here and now.

In recent years, the voices of survivors and activists, through campaigns such as #MeToo, #TimesUp, #Niunamenos, #NotOneMore, #BalanceTonPorc and others, have reached a crescendo that cannot be silenced any more. Advocates understand that while the names and contexts may differ across geographic locations, women and girls everywhere are experiencing extensive abuse and their stories need to be brought to light.

This is why the UNiTE Campaign’s global advocacy theme this year is: Orange the World: #HearMeToo.

Under the theme Orange the World: #HearMeToo, the UNiTE partners are encouraged to host events with local, national, regional and global women’s movements, survivor advocates and women human rights defenders and create opportunities for dialogue between activists, policy-makers and the public.

As in previous years, the colour orange will be a key theme unifying all activities, with buildings and landmarks lit and decorated in orange to bring global attention to the initiative.

To commemorate this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the Secretary-General’s UNiTE Campaign is calling upon us to stand in solidarity with survivors and survivor advocates and women’s human rights defenders who are working to prevent and end violence against women and girls.

Our duty is not only to stand in solidarity with them but also to intensify our efforts to find solutions and measures to stop this preventable global scourge with a detrimental impact on women’s and girls’ lives and health.

Ending violence against women and girls is not a short-term endeavor. It requires coordinated and sustained efforts from all of us. Showing that these efforts yield results is the best tribute to survivors and the survivor advocates and women’s human rights defenders that we are celebrating today.

BY LORETTA BRIGIDIA MANELE

MAKIRA Ulawa province’s Provincial Police Commander (PPC), Peter Sitai has appealed to the people to support each other in the fight against violence.

As guest of honour, he made the call whilst speaking at the opening of Kirakira Family Support Center’s second campaign to stop violence against women and girls at Ngoragnora.

Sitai expressed that the primary focus is for everyone to work together to disseminate reliable information across all sectors of the communities so people can understand more about the issue and in turn, help prevent and reduce the risks of being exposed to violence.

“It is everyone’s business to advocate against violence as this issue is perhaps politically, economically, socially, technology, legally and of course environmentally influenced”, he said.

Sitai also said that there is no cause of domestic violence to justify the actions and that it should not be used as rational behaviour.

He mentioned that one way to find out the possible causes of violence is to better understand why the abuser believes violence is acceptable.

Sitai assured people of Makira province that the provincial police will do whatever it can to support the campaign program.

BY LORETTA BRIGIDIA MANELE

STUDENTS, church groups and ministerial groups within the Westside of central Bauro constituency in Makira province have kicked off their 16 days’ activism on Nov 25th.

This campaign also falls in line with the international 16-day activism against gender-based violence.

Makira province through its campaign themed “Herem vois belong mi – Stop violence against Women and Girls” aims to shed light on all forms of violence against women and girls through general awareness.

Guest of Honour and the Provincial Police Commander Peter Sitai told participants that gender-based violence is a worldwide problem including Solomon Islands.

At the same time, team leader of KiraKira Family Support centre Edna Sitai said the country is ranked the second highest in the Pacific for domestic violence. Sitai emphasized that the results are affected by traditional beliefs, individual inferiority, behavioural influences through interaction and situational factors from the family and society, victims, alcohol, and drugs.

Meanwhile, provincial Honourable member for Ward Nine, Hypolite Taramae stressed that the influence of inequality which lead to differences in responsibility, forms violence within the family.

The campaign although only a second since it started last year has participants realizing the significance of it in the rural areas.

The people there have also signed a pledge to fight and eliminate violence in their families and societies.

This 16 days’ activism program was facilitated by the KiraKira Family Support centre with help from stakeholders; Kirakira Police, Makira Council of Women, Makira Ulawa provincial Community governance and Community Policing.

BY LORETTA BRIGIDIA MANELE

THE traffic congestion experienced in the city is still of concern to Honiara residents.

A concerned citizen is questioning if Honiara City Council (HCC) law enforcement officers and traffic police are doing their job.

Galorick Irota, a former police officer expressed his concern in an interview last week.

He said roads are jammed with vehicles with no traffic officers present to control or monitor the situation.

Irota adds even the newly built bus stops and bridges are harbouring buses and vehicles that are queuing for longer periods of time.

“This is causing school children and working class people to arrive late to schools and workplaces”, Irota said.

He said buses are not parking properly at their designated bus stops especially at both east and westward Central Market bus stops and at White River’s 01 bus stop.

The concerned man said, at Central Market buses are parking at the end of the bus stop leaving the upper section empty and some can be seen parking near the walkway pavement.

As for the White River 01 bus stop, he says buses at times tend to stop right in front of the road leading inwards, blocking vehicles exiting or entering the road.

Irota voices that it is the duty of HCC law enforcement officers and traffic police to ensure that vehicles are steadily passing through and not stuck in traffic.

He calls on the Head of HCC law enforcement and Commissioner of Police to ensure that their responsible traffic officers are out on duty ensuring that vehicles are not stuck in traffic, something he says has been experienced every now and then.

ALFRED PAGEPITU

GIZO

THE Chairman of the Public Account Committee and MPA for Ward 18 South Rendova, Hon. George Solingi Lilo says Western Province need to have a Provincial Fiscal Strategy that guides the fiscal policy of the Province.

Lilo said the Fiscal Strategy paper will prioritize the province’s expenditure policies. Apparently, we do not really know where we are heading to without a Fiscal Strategy.

“I recommend we give this policy strategy a priority prior to the 2019/2020 budget preparation process.”

“The Draft Revised Budget is not pegged against any credible economic variables, to say the least. The Budget is not taking advantage of the domestic or local economic data of the province. This is an important factor in the derivation of a budget document,” he added.

“We need to urgently facilitate the establishment of a Budget and Economic Research Unit that manipulates this information,” said Lilo.

He said a Strategic Plan articulates a coordination of programs against limited resources.

“This document should assist in prioritizing the allocation of resources as well as the implementation of those programs”, Lilo said.

Lilo pointed out that most importantly is the concern related to revenue collection against competing demands.

“This would mean that a lot of efforts may have to be pursued in terms of revisiting revenue-related Ordinances and re-strengthened them, for instance, Harbour and Wharfage Ordinance; Total overhaul of our Business License Ordinance and Regulations; Review of Basic Rates and Property Rates Ordinance; Investing of Funds into small-scale income-generating activities as required by Clause 22 Part 6 of FMO 2018 (draft); etc”, Lilo said.