Sera Navuga 
[Source: Fiji Museum]
Pacific gender policies are failing to address the realities facing young people, says Pacific Communities University Coordinator of Gender Studies Emele Duituturaga.
Speaking at the Traditional Knowledge Conference in Nadi, Duituturaga said current interventions are out of step with lived experiences and called for a complete rethink of gender programs in the region.
She emphasised that the issue goes beyond academic debate and must be central to development and learning.
“You probably don’t read the statistics, but in 2024, 1,583 new cases of HIV. And you know what? 70% of them were I-taukei men between the ages of 20 and 29, that is a gender issue. What is going down to our men? What is happening in the psyche of our men? What is happening in our families?”
Duituturaga argued that written policies often do not match lived realities and called for a shift rooted in Pacific philosophies, spirituality and cultural wisdom.
Faith and culture should not be barriers but enablers, she states that stressing the need to nurture ethically strong men as leaders within families and communities.
Addressing gender challenges, Duituturaga said, requires collective commitment.
Policy makers, academics and communities must move beyond discussion and work together on practical solutions that genuinely improve the lives of future generations.
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