27 Jan 2015

50 years of women's advancement to be discussed in Cooks

4:35 pm on 27 January 2015

A women's advocate gives the Cook Islands seven out of 10 in terms of the advancement of women over the last 50 years but says there is still a lot of work to be done.

Vaine Wichman of the National Council of Women is hosting a conference in March along with the Ministry of Internal Affairs to celebrate 50 years of self-government.

Ms Wichman say they will publish a paper at the conference that presents the merits and work of 50 women who have been pioneers, trailblazers or achievers.

She says although the Cook Islands has a good rights record there is room for improvement.

"One in three women is still subjected in the Cook Islands to some form of domestic violence. Cook Islands women are a group of women who never are complacent. There still has to be a better way. Here I talk about the last vestige in terms of our island council chambers and our national parliament. 50 years ago there was one woman. 50 years later there's three women."