9 Sep 2011

Amnesty pleads with Pacific to improve safety for women

2:48 pm on 9 September 2011

Amnesty International has presented Kiribati President Anote Tong with a petition that calls on Pacific leaders to make their countries safe and secure for women.

In its campaign to counter sexual and gender-based violence in the Pacific, Amnesty has compiled a petition with more than 21,000 signatures on it.

Amnesty asked Pacific leaders during the just completed summit in Auckland to accept the petition, but so far only Mr Tong has done so.

The petition calls for leaders to implement laws to prevent violence, punish offenders and compensate survivors, and to put into practise human rights conventions that protect women from violence.

Kiribati has high levels of gender-based violence but Amnesty says the country is also showing strong leadership in combatting the problem, with the government considering domestic violence legislation.