“Rights & Religion – Considerations for Pacific Development”

Bronwyn Fraser Manager, Livelihoods & Peacebuilding programs (Pacific)

UnitingWorld Relief and Development is:

• Overseas Agency of the Uniting Church in Australia

• Fully accredited with DFAT

• A full member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and signatory to the ACFID Code of Conduct

• A member of the Action by Churches Together (ACT) Alliance

ChristianFaith other than Christian

Pew Research Centre (2012)

Percentage of People Identifying as Christian across the Pacific Region

Fiji

Solomon Isl

ands

Vanuatu

Samoa

Tonga

Kiribati

0100000200000300000400000500000600000700000800000900000

1000000

PopulationChristian

PNG0

10000002000000300000040000005000000600000070000008000000

Pew Research Centre (2012)

People Identifying as Christian as compared to Population Size for Pacific Nations

Dr Lloyd Kwast (1992)

Model of CultureBehaviour

Values

Beliefs

Worldviews

A Tongan Minister after attending a workshop on Rights and Protection: “Thank you for the workshop. Now I know that I must ask permission before I beat my wife”

A church leader in Vanuatu talking about the Family Protection Act in Vanuatu:

“This is violence against men!” [when asked to explain]: “I hear my wife is having an affair, I come home and beat her and she can go to the court and get a restraining order out on me. That’s violence against men! She should have gone to the church minister to help sort it out.” (2013)

Solomon Islands United Church Women’s Fellowship

When asked if women are equal, they all agreed “yes”. When asked if husbands should beat their wives, they answer “No”.

When asked if they could leave their husbands to seek safety and protect themselves – they responded “No”. It would break their marriage vow to God and therefore they must stay.

Church Leader in Vanuatu:

“If a Minister was involved in causing abuse, we would suspend him for a year, pastorally care for him and then reinstate him. We wouldn’t go to the courts” [When asked about the victim]: “They should forgive and forget”

Rev Dr Cliff BirdUnitingWorld Pacific

Coordinator.Pacific Office