Outcome TON_D_3.2

Women and Girls, especially from particular groups (with disabilities, rural, sexual and gender minorities) from target countries, who experience violence have access to quality essential services (health, social service, police and justice) to recover from violence

Women and girls in Tonga, particularly survivors of violence have better chances at now accessing essential services (health, social services, police and justice) and recovery from violence after a two-pronged approach undertaken by UN Women that has seen national service providers, both government and CSOs increase their active engagement in the national coordination infrastructure of GBV services, and frontline service providers enhance their capacity to provide quality services to GBV survivors, both in emergency and non-emergency times. Cohesion amongst services has improved, with partners showing greater understanding of the Family Protection Act, the Tonga National Services Delivery Protocol for Responding to Cases of GBV (SDP) and referral pathways, and the operations of the Tonga National Safety and Protection Cluster in relation to GBV in Emergencies (GBViE). In addition, relationships have been built/improved and there has been an improved understanding of roles and responsibilities amongst the network of organisations that makes up the GBV response in country. The roll-out plan for SDP implementation, co-developed and finalised in 2022 by UN Women and partners in Tonga, includes adaptations for emergency response, COVID-19 and longer-term recovery and rebuilding. In addition, capacity building of frontline service providers has enhanced the coordination and systematic delivery of a range of multisectoral services to better serve survivors of violence in emergency and non-emergency times. UN Women’s focus in 2022 was to provide the technical and financial support necessary to sustain its partners on the ground in Tonga during and after the complex emergency period in the aftermath of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai (HTHH) volcanic eruption (January 2022) and the onset of COVID-19 and subsequent lockdowns (February 2023). The Tonga Women and Children Crisis Centre (WCCC) remained operational during this time. It reported, that while it can serve between 20 to 30 cases per month, during the double emergencies this rose to an additional 55 cases monthly. WCCC continued its approach to reach those most left behind by opening a centre on the outer island Vava’u – making the centre the third on an outer island. The WCCC Vava’u Centre works closely with the Ministry of Justice which opened its Family Protection Legal Aid Centre also in Vava’u in 2022. The expansion of both organisations to the outer island has been possible through UN Women’s financial support. The services on Vava’u are expected to also expand to Niua Fo’ou and Niua Toputapu, the two remotest islands in Tonga, and is expected to significantly expand access to justice for women and girls in Tonga’s rural and remote islands.

Women and Girls, especially from particular groups (with disabilities, rural, sexual and gender minorities) from target countries, who experience violence have access to quality essential services (health, social service, police and justice) to recover from violence

In Tonga, Women and girls, especially from particular groups who experience violence have improved access to quality essential services to recover from violence. The Tonga Women and Children’s Crisis Centre ( WCCC) , as the leading social service and crisis counselling provider in Tonga, a leading member of the Pacific Women’s Network to End Violence Against Women and core contributor to the recently launched Regional Counselling Guidelines, contributed to the development of the Tonga Service Delivery Protocol and continued to expand its service delivery capacity throughout Tonga. With a focus on ensuring women and girls in remote and rural areas are not left behind, WCCC implemented a community mobile counselling clinic model with regular visits to the outer islands. 36 clinics were provided, with 470 women in nine outer islands, including Hunga, the most remote island in Tonga now being able to access counselling. WCCC ’s VAWG Helpline (0800 444) was also rigorously promoted to women and girls, through 14 awareness events with 30 women’s groups and four workshop groups