The majority of men (81%) and women (79%) in Vanuatu believe that a woman sometimes deserved to be beaten. The acceptance of violence as the norm has led to a frightening reality – 60% of women will experience violence by their partner. To understand how common domestic violence is in Vanuatu, just imagine that for every woman you pass on the street, the one after her has been abused by her partner.

91% of men and 84% of women also believe that domestic violence is a private matter that should be handled within the family. What does that say about us as a society if that majority of us does not consider domestic violence a crime?

The sad fact is that 98% of cases of violence against women and children do not reach the stage of being charged by police anyway. And yet despite most cases of violence not being charged, more than half (60%) of inmates are sexual offenders. SEXUAL VIOLENCE is alarmingly the MOST COMMON CRIME committed by offenders. Who knows how many more criminals are walking the street because the case did not reach the stage of being charged?

This is an issue that needs to be addressed at the national level. It starts with seeing violence for what it is – A CRIME, not a private matter. When we accept that’s it’s an issue #CallitOut #Prevent #Eliminate #YumiStanap

SOURCE: http://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2016/07/women-and-childrens-access-to-the-formal-justice-system-in-vanuatu + http://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/countries/fiji/co/vanuatu

Offending Against Morality in Vanuatu’ Dipatment Blong Koreksonal Sevis report)

This article was originally published in the Vanuatu Daily Post