NEWSPAGE 10 March
2010

(Photos: Department of Labour / Mr Apple)

SAMOA: Trauma experts help Samoa help themselves
Source: TVNZ ONE News

Kiwi trauma experts have found many Samoans caught up in last year's tsunami are still living in fear.

A volunteer group of New Zealand therapists were so moved by Samoa's plight that they travelled to Apia to train Samoans to help their own, by training health and social workers on how to deal with trauma victims.

The team are even paying their own way.

"We've been training people who live here locally so that they can be working with people in the communities next week, next month, the month after and help whole families heal themselves," says Karen Ross from the trauma recovery team.

More than 20 people have signed up for the training and they have their work cut out for them.

"It seems every village we visit on the coast, there are people still traumatised. The people I am talking to are having nightmares, they are drinking to help them feel better or sleep better," Ross says.

At least one entire village has relocated inland and families are still grappling with the loss of loved ones, says Samoa Lifeline's Junior Siitia.

"I talked to a teacher at Lalomanu Primary School and she said that one third of the kids did not come to school for fear that the tsunami would strike again," Siitia says.

The newly trained locals, like Lose Bourne, say the skills they have learnt have also helped them deal with their own fears.

"I'm hoping this training will help us guide people to look forward and not to look back," Bourne says.
 

(Photos: J. Kneubuhl)

AMERICAN SAMOA: ASCC to host first Constitutional Convention Forum
Source: American Samoa Community College Press Release

In preparation for the historic Constitutional Convention to take place in June and July, the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) will host the 1st Constitutional Convention Forum this Thursday, March 11, beginning at 12:30 p.m. in the Lecture Hall. Governor Togiola Tulafono, Constitutional Convention Executive Director Afoa Lutu, and other commissioners will participate in a discussion of the most pertinent issues surrounding the convention, but as Jacinta S Galea’i, Communications Director, Office of the Governor explained, “We will try to keep the focus on the students as much as possible.”

Preparations for the forum at ASCC began two weeks ago when Social Sciences instructor and Constitutional Convention committee member Elvis Zodiacal disseminated to faculty members a guide to the convention and the areas of American Samoa’s political status most in need of discussion. “We wanted to give all interested teachers a chance to familiarize their students with the purpose of the convention and the main questions that will come up,” Zodiacal said. “Most of us take our current relationship with the United States for granted, and don’t realize that American Samoa has options within that relationship. We have a choice of whether to maintain the status quo, or to look at other possibilities. An educational opportunity like this does not happen very often, so we want to encourage as much participation as we can from everyone at the College, especially the students.”

Community & Natural Resources (CNR)/Land Grant Director and Future Political Status Study Commission member Tapaau Dr. Daniel M. Aga will serve as the moderator for this Thursday’s forum. Members of the ASCC Student Government Association, Peer Mentors, and Phi Theta Kappa honors society will assist with the organization, while a group from the general student population will sit on the discussion panel. “Having talked with many of my classes about the main issues surrounding the convention, I’ve found that in addition to our political status with the United States, the question of preserving Samoan culture comes up again and again from the students,” said Zodiacal. “I get a very general impression that students seem open to any political status American Samoa finds most advantageous, as long as it allows the preservation of the culture.”

In the weeks following this Thursday’s forum, ASCC has volunteered its Lecture Hall as the site of two similar events for the benefit of Tutuila’s high school students. On March 18th, student government leaders, class officers and history students from Samoana, Faga’itua, Nuuuli Polytech, South Pacific Academy and Seventh Day Adventist will attend a convention forum at the College, while a similar group from Tafuna, Leone, Kanana Fou, Faasao/Marist, and Pacific Horizon will attend on March 25th. Similar meetings will take place at locations throughout American Samoa over the next few months.

Anyone wishing to review the current Future Political Status Study Commission Report, a key document that highlights issues for discussion during the convention, can find it online at http://americansamoa.gov. This URL will take you to the American Samoa Government: Official Executive Office website, where you can locate and click on the Future Political Status Study Commission link to find the report.

Saturday, March 13th will mark the 100 day countdown to the opening of the Convention on June 21st. The Constitutional Review Office, located on 2nd floor of the Executive Office Building in Utulei, is asking for volunteers in the following areas: outreach, writers (Samoan and English), and general office. To volunteer, or for more information, please call 633-1582/1586.

Photo Captions: ASCC Social Sciences instructor Elvis Zodiacal and students review issues to be discussed at the Constitutional Convention Forum this Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in the College's Lecture Hall.

(Photo: New York University)

FIJI: Marking International Women's Day, Fiji reviews laws on women
Source: All Headline News

Fiji is currently taking constructive steps to review existing legislation regarding women, it has been confirmed.

Dr. Neil Sharma, acting minister for women, made the revelation during his speech in Suva to mark International Women's Day.

He said over the past months, Fiji has adopted new laws further protecting women and enhancing their status in society. These he said, include the Domestic Violence Decree, Crimes Decree and Employment Law.

The Domestic Violence Decree criminalizes acts of violence committed in a family situation, including those in a de facto relationship.

The Crimes Decree, according to Sharma, now satisfies Fiji"s obligations under the Rome Statute and includes offences of crimes against humanity and genocide which may be committed by acts of rape, sexual servitude and sexual slavery.

Also included are offences of trafficking in women and children, which conforms to international definitions of trafficking. Harsher penalties are now in place under this decree which allows for 12 to 25 years imprisonment.

As well, the Employment Law ensures gender equality in employment, including women receiving full pay during maternity leave for their first three children.

This law also ensures adherence to the Sexual Harassment Policy in the workplace, and provisions for Domestic Workers to receive full pay for maternity leave and sick leave.

Sharma said in order for Fiji to achieve its theme for International Women's Day -- Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities, and Progress for All -- the nation relies on positive contributions and support from the international communities.
 

Photo Caption: Acting minister for women, Dr. Neil Sharma.
 

(Photo: Solomon Star)

TUVALU: Of Tuvalu, tsunami and king tides
Source: Solomon Star

Political adviser of environmental group Greenpeace Shirley Atatagi was in Tuvalu for the King Tides Festival last weekend when there was a tsunami alert for the Pacific. Here, she shares what she saw first hand on a Pacific island nation that is threatened by climate change:

I could not help thinking about the tsunami that struck my country of Samoa a few months ago as I landed in Tuvalu.

The many survivors were spared because they managed to get to higher ground - which is exactly the reason I was obsessing about this as FJ281 taxied to a stop at Funafuti airport.

I have come to Tuvalu to witness the king tides and to take part in the inaugural King Tides Festival.

The highest tides expected on Sunday will not be as high as the tsunami waves that struck Samoa but Funafuti atoll is less than 3 metres (elevation) above sea level so with weather forecasts predicting approx 3.3 metre waves, it is only cold comfort.

I make a mental note as I wait in the Immigration line to survey the island and find the highest point in case of tsunami-like conditions.

It was pretty obvious once I was out of the airport that this would be the Government building.

The good news for me was that the distance from my accommodation is only approximately 20 metres.

Based on Murphy’s Law, having figured all of this out should guarantee that there would not be a moment to ever use this information. Or so I thought.

On my third night in Tuvalu I was woken up in the wee hours of the morning by a loud knock and someone calling my name.

“Shirley there’s a tsunami warning. It’s expected to hit us between 6 and 8am.”

I must have looked like I did not believe a single word that came out of her mouth for Peni then shoved a written notice in front of my face and pointed out lines where it specifically reads ‘tsunami’.

The instructions for evacuation were as I expected: go to the 3rd floor of the government building, it’s the highest point on the island.

Jinxed. Shocked. Fear. Homesick. Disbelief. Hope.

I was awash with mixed emotions for the first half hour.

A part of me decided it was pointless trying to pack up - I am still unsure if it was the part of me that thought the tsunami may not happen or the part that believed this could be the end.

Later on when I went downstairs and saw on CNN that the tsunami alert had come about because of an earthquake in Chile I quickly felt a little better about the chances of the waves reaching all the way here.

But I was still not about to take chances.

What struck me the most though was how quietly Tuvaluans went about with the evacuation that morning.

Outside it was still dark but all you could hear and make out was the sound of motorcycles transporting people to the government building, elderly women and children first while the disaster management officials drove around the atoll issuing directions on loud speaker to the residents.

It was all done in a very orderly and calm fashion.

At the government building a radio blared out gospel music, which must have had a comforting effect on some.

The tsunami alert was lifted several hours later but the festive spirit was no longer there as Tuvaluans were reminded that this is a country living on a ticking time bomb.

Freak natural disasters are some of the biggest threats they live with here.

But so is another slower and surer threat to the people and their fragile land: climate change, which is causing the sea level to rise around low lying Tuvalu atolls.

The majority of people here have built homes on land that is no more than 2 metres above sea level but the sea level around Tuvalu is rising at a rate of approximately 5 mm per year.

Tide gauge measurements have shown that the sea has risen by 8 cm in the last 16 years alone. At this rate of increase, the sea will have risen 30cm by 2030 and 0.5 metre by 2050.

For the people of Tuvalu this is enough to render their islands uninhabitable. Land will be lost to the ocean and king tides and storm surges will reach further each year.

As sea level rises around the atolls the salt water will get into the drinking water and poison the plants.

This is happening already to a small extent and those affected residents are adapting by growing crops in buckets.

The local root crop ‘pulaka’ (Cyrtosperma chamissonis) is considered very much under threat on some of the atolls already.

This and other impacts will render Tuvalu uninhabitable long before the final piece of land is sunk into the Pacific.

The decision to hold an annual festival might initially seem like a contradiction - why would they be celebrating king tides and the fact they are drowning? They are not.

Tuvaluans have chosen to celebrate their beautiful national culture and the amazing resilience of their people in these times of extreme climatic conditions.

Reinforcing their culture and their unique traditions empowers the younger generation to ensure it survives dispersion and displacement into the wider world should Tuvalu disappear.

Tuvaluans know better than anyone that twice a year, when the sun and moon align, the ocean tides become stronger and higher, especially in February.

These are king tides, and when the king tides strike, the ocean bubbles up through the atoll’s ground flooding fields and houses, and if combined with strong winds, waves can surge across the land.

For the Tuvaluans this is a preview of what climate change will further bring.

Climate change may not be responsible for earthquakes and tsunamis but for now it is exacerbating the development challenges and increasing the vulnerability of communities here.

And for those who live in Tuvalu this is becoming impossible to ignore.

The Tuvaluan people do not want to leave their land, but faced with inadequate action by the rest of the world it seems they will have no choice.

This is one reason the Tuvalu government has been so vocal on the international political stage.

However, it’s not just the international politics that are discouraging. It has been two months since the media became swept up in a wave of ‘climate-gate’ stories all suggesting that climate change was overblown.

Since then, despite acres of newsprint being devoted to the issue the world has remained unconvinced.

The world’s glaciers have refused to return to their previous extent.

The deserts have stubbornly refused to retreat.

Sea levels not only remain higher than they were at the start of the last century, the rate at which they are rising continues to accelerate.

But these truths remain too inconvenient.
 

WOLDWIDE: Pacific women continue to face challenges
Source: Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Press Release

Women in the Pacific continue to face adverse challenges despite national and regional commitments to addressing gender inequality.

In a statement marking International Women’s Day today, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Tuiloma Neroni Slade says: “International Women’s Day this year marks a critical time for women’s rights and gender equality in the Pacific region. “

The theme for 2010 ‘Equal rights, Equal opportunities: Progress for all’ also marks the 15th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action an international gender commitment which all our Pacific Island Forum countries are party to.

“The Pacific continues to lag behind the rest of the world in terms of representation of women in national parliaments and three of our Forum Island countries are yet to ratify CEDAW. In addition to this, emerging issues such as climate change and natural disasters have become national and regional priorities where gender issues have not been given the attention they deserve,” says Mr Slade.

“The needs and responses of both men and women cannot be ignored when it comes to such critical issues that deal with the lives of people and ultimately the development of our Pacific countries.

“Violence against women remains a pervasive form of human rights violation in our nations, requiring critical momentum in the development of national domestic violence legislation in all our Pacific countries - we congratulate Vanuatu for recently enacting such a legislation and urge our members to start taking positive steps towards legislative measures.”

The Forum Secretary General urges “both countries and regional and international organizations to give gender equality concerns the priority it deserves - this includes staffing, resources and the political will it needs to make equal rights and opportunities a reality.”