20 Nov 2007

Vanuatu ministry urges new laws to fight violence against women

3:42 pm on 20 November 2007

Vanuatu's ministry of women affairs says it needs new laws to protect its women against violence and discrimination.

This comes as a workshop is underway in Vanuatu to identify how Vanuatu, Samoa, Fiji and the Cook Islands can better implement the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, or CEDAW.

The ministry's director, Hilda Taleo, says there is a lot her country must do to better protect its women.

"Some of the things that we would like to see happening is to look at all of our legislation and identify those that are discriminatory in nature, and propose changes to this legislation. We also need to look at putting our efforts into the passing of a domestic legislation that deals with domestic violence, because that is one of our key issues that is of concern."

Hilda Taleo says this is a challenge for Vanuatu because of its cultural diversity.