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Gender inequality concerning for the Lau group

April 6, 2021 12:30 pm

Minister Mereseini Vuniwaqa. [File Photo]

Minister for Women Mereseini Vuniwaqa says gender inequality is the main reason that violence prevails in the Lau group.

The Minister highlighted this as the main outcome of a trip to the Lau group where her team gathered information from women.

Vuniwaqa says some women are kept isolated to certain roles disallowing them to participate in village activities.

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“A woman in one of these communities, she says I got beaten because dinner was late, that’s based on gender inequality in the sense that it’s the women’s role only to cook. It’s not an easy task to get over, at the heart of it is gender inequality.”

Vuniwaqa says other issues include the consumption of homebrew, fighting over money, and consumption of Kava.

The meeting with women in Lau was to find ways in which violence can be prevented.

Work on a National Action Plan is underway to take a more proactive approach towards gender-based violence.