GOVERNMENT’S latest plan to address violence against women will not have a fighting chance unless it is adequately resourced.
This was the view expressed by Opposition parliamentarian Salote Radrodro in response to a ministerial statement by Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Minister Mereseini Vuniwaqa in Parliament yesterday.
“Always we have been hearing in this House on the plans that the ministry has on the elimination of violence against women and children and most times we hear the Minister for Women sharing their passion, their plans on the national gender policy, on the women’s plan of action, but I ask what has come about from all these plans,” said Ms Radrodro.
“What have we achieved? No matter what we say, what we do counts.
“And the fact that violence against women and children — as alluded to by the minister — that in 2019 alone we had 10 deaths and for that the women died at the hands of the husbands.
“These are the performance indicators.”
Ms Radrodro reminded Government of the numerous times the Opposition had tabled motions to have a national inquiry into the elimination of violence against women, only for every proposal to be defeated.
“We will not make any difference until and unless there is political will from the Government, from the Prime Minister, from the Minister for Economy.
“The Minister for Women will not be able to do anything constructive without those two giving the resources and the commitment.
“Otherwise there’s just a lot of talk from the Prime Minister himself, the Minister for Economy does not allocate the necessary budget to the Minister for Women to be able to carry out her work.
“And you know what, even during budget debate, when we stand up on this side of the House to request that the budget for the ministry be increased, the Minister for Women herself doesn’t support it,” Ms Radrodro said.
“And here she comes into the House again with another plan; how on earth you’re going to implement the plan without money?”
