Young Pacific Island leaders urged to tackle family violence
The views of the younger Pacific community leaders need to be encouraged to more effectively tackle family violence within New Zealand’s Pacific Island community, according to the Pacific Champions of Change fono delegates.
That was just one of the findings to come out of the Pacific Champions of Change series of meetings or fonos held from Auckland to Dunedin during April and May.
The nine fonos were called by the Pacific Advisory Group for the Taskforce for Action on Violence to discuss how a violence-free Pacific community can be achieved.
Ann Dysart, Community Relations Manager, Family and Community Services said that the purpose of the meetings was to explore how the Pacific community in New Zealand could take charge of, and lead, its own solutions for preventing violence in Pacific homes and its communities.
“A message that came through strongly was that Pacific communities need more input from younger Pacific leaders, especially those who have grown up in New Zealand.
“This may require an attitude shift among the existing, older generation of leaders, although it was agreed that we also need older and younger generations to work more closely together.”
Fono organiser and FACS staff member, Faalogo Vaai, says the fonos were a huge success with a good mix of delegates attending.
“We not only had people from all over the Pacific, but representatives from other ethnic groups working in violence prevention.”
Faalogo says delegates discussed numerous factors that contribute to family violence, from alcohol and health issues, to cultural misunderstandings and financial stress.
“These are not restricted to the Pacific Island community of course. But, across the board, delegates agreed it is the family that holds the key to any solution. The family must take the central leadership role in non-violence activities.”
The central role of the family was one of three key themes to emerge from the fonos and this view was shared by both older and younger generations, says Faalogo. “Everyone agreed the family needed to spend more quality time together. It’s about building and strengthening family relationships, that’s where solutions to preventing violence in the homes start.”
Faalogo says the next step in the consultation process is the Champions of Change National Fono to be held in Auckland 24-25 June 2010.
Keynote speaker at that event will the Governor General, Sir Anand Satyanand, who will be joined by 300 delegates invited from the nine nationwide fonos, along with other Pacific community leaders.
“Delegates [at the fono] will be tasked to find community actions to preventing family violence. That means deciding what those solutions will be, what support structures are needed, what roles government agencies will play and who will lead them,” says Faalogo.
