A warning this story contains distressing details. The Pacific region has some of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world with 2/3 women victims of abuse. Now, survivors and advocates are sharing their stories and using Indigenous values in a push to end the violence.
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00:00Clara left her partner in 2019. Before that, she says she endured years of brutal violence.
00:10I got my tooth actually fall. I got bruises on my body too, my face.
00:16She's not alone. Studies show parts of the Pacific have some of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world.
00:23One factor is a pervasive culture of silence around abuse.
00:27My mom, my parents always tell me, just let it go. Let God do the rest.
00:34The head of the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre says gendered power structures also play their part.
00:40And that is the reason why when violence against women happens, people do not treat it as a crime, that it is a very serious crime.
00:48But Pacific women are also leading the charge to change things. Research shows Indigenous values can also be leveraged.
00:55Values around humility, reciprocity and views about women that actually hold up and see the value of women.
01:04Responses to gender-based violence need to be attuned to the cultural setting and the cultural context.
01:13We're headed to a rural village participating in a program doing just that.
01:19Gathering in the traditional meeting house, the Crisis Centre's counsellor uses open conversation that respects village culture and the authority of leaders.
01:29Attendees can then pass on what they learn to others.
01:34My husband has been doing women's work at home. When we wake up, he is in the kitchen preparing breakfast.
01:41We have seen many changes in our village. We hardly see violence against women or child abuse anymore.
01:48They may not seem like radical changes, but these are the first steps towards shifting the dial on cultural norms that have in the past seemed unshakable.
02:00We have seen many changes in the last few days.
02:12We have seen many changes in the future.
02:14We have seen many changes in our village happening in the past.