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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| January 13, 2005 |
Peace, security and women in the Pacific – Amelia Siamomua |
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| Amelia Siamomua |
Amelia Siamomua, Regional Programme Director for the Pacific of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), came onboard Peace Boat to present gender inequality in Melanesia and the contemporary role of women in society and development. She boarded Peace Boat for three days from Auckland to Sydney and not only gave a lecture and facilitated a discussion group but also used her time to learn about Peace Boat’s activities and research the possibility of holding a UNIFEM conference on board a future Peace Boat voyage through the region. |
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| Women take to the streets |
Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights all human beings are entitled to all human rights and freedom, meaning the right to life, liberty, security, nationality, marriage, work, expression of opinion and recognition as a person everywhere before the law. However we all know that women do not exercise and enjoy their human rights and fundamental freedom on basis of equality with men in all areas of the world. Amelia has been working to rectify this in accordance with the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, set up 20 years ago by the UN. |
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| Education projects in the Pacific |
In basic terms, the definition of discrimination against women is the following: “Any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullyifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field”. Women make up 70 percent of the world’s poor, they are the sole income earners of 35 percent of the world’s households and they only hold 10 percent of parliamentary seats worldwide. In a small discussion forum, both men and women gathered together onboard Peace Boat to discuss what discrimination they had experienced in their lives and the impact discrimination has on society. One Peace Boat participant shared that when she left the Japanese company she was working for, her brother was employed by them and received double her salary upon arrival. |
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| Supporting much of the world, and demanding an equal voice in world affairs |
Amelia’s experience lies with having worked with the women of Melanesia, which covers the island nations of the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and several other smaller island states. From their annual meetings, these women are able to come together to share their frustrations at being under-represented at all levels of decision making and political power and discuss ways of creating a more balanced society. Due to political changes, land disputes, loss in confidence of ancient chief councils, changing family systems and international pressure on local natural resources, the past two decades have seen increase in unrest, turmoil, and intra-clan warfare which are, in a nutshell, the effects of globalization. Through the conflicts and wars that have affected their societies internally, women in Melanesia have been both the victims and peace-builders and yet have never reached a level where they can ‘officially’ make a change. In peace negotiations across the globe, the situation in Melanesia is the same, as women are rarely represented; no female representatives in Bosnian peace talks, one woman in Guatemala in 1994 and one woman in Kosovo in 1999. |
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| Amelia’s first attempt at calligraphy |
Societies within Melanesia work on a patriarchal basis, however while men are out at war it is the women who become heads of the households and the communities. It is the women who take on the roles of financial providers, peace builders and negotiators and once the conflict is over they are expected to become subservient once again, as it is for this role that they were ‘bought’ in the first place. The latter really illustrates the crux of the problem, as women are often bought to play a certain role and once they step out of those boundaries they are punished or banished for not acting accordingly. Amelia stated that changing the traditional role of a woman in the eyes of a man is the biggest obstacle UNIFEM faces, as it is not only gender issues that are at stake but also centuries of ingrained habits and practice. “I have been to meetings and watched all of the women present stay from the beginning to end in absolute silence” said Amelia. |
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| Participating in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony |
UNIFEM has been in operation since 1976, aiming to reduce feminized poverty, end violence against women, decrease the spread of HIV/AIDS among women and achieve gender equality in democratic governance in times of war and during war recovery periods. The regional office for the Pacific is based in Suva, Fiji, where Amelia lives and works and is trying, slowly, to revolutionize women’s place in society. “We don’t want women to take over, we just want women to be equal because they could have such a positive impact, especially in peace negotiations”. The situation for the future could be explosive as we are dealing with a generation with men who have been taken to combat and women who have suffered sexual abuse. This, in times of mass urbanization with no formal education or training in social skills increases trauma, anger and stress and could manifest itself in second or third generation violence quite easily. It is this situation, through a local people-centred community based approach that Amelia and UNIFEM are trying to promote. While onboard, Peace Boat participants gave Amelia the chance to experience traditional Japanese culture with a tea ceremony, kimono, origami and calligraphy as some of the delights. “The warmth in your heart is mirrored in your eyes. Continue to do the work that you do” was the calligraphy message written to Amelia upon her departure and was a sentiment felt by many.
“The education and empowerment of women throughout the world cannot fail to result in a more caring, tolerant, just and peaceful life for all”
Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and leader of Burma’s democracy movement. |
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