Outcome FIJ_D_3.1

Women and men in target communities demonstrate support to survivors of violence and practice balanced power in their relationships

Progress was made to contribute to this Outcome through primary prevention approaches and strategies that were adapted for COVID-19 with the aim to address harmful social norms at the individual and community level that drive VAWG, combined with targeted efforts to support women and girls who have experienced violence. Important progress was made in the following areas: Preventing Violence in Fiji’s Faith Communities, House of Sarah (HoS) The House of Sarah and the Anglican Church in Fiji continued to adapt and implement the “Preventing Violence Against Women in Fiji’s Faith Settings” (PVAWFFS) initiative that began in 2018 [1] . Implemented in three [2] Anglican Parishes PVAWFFS project uses SASA! Faith , an activist VAWG prevention model developed by Raising Voices, Uganda and Trocaire, Ireland. The SASA! Faith model takes the structure, process, and content of SASA! and adapts it for use by religious communities. In 2021, the Awareness Phase was completed in March 2021 and the Support Phase began in April 2022. Despite the significant impacts of COVID-19, more individuals were reached in 2021 compared to 2020. A total of 1,824 [SR1] community members were reached in 2021 as a result of 332 in-person activities and 30 virtual or COVID-19 safe activities led by 30 Community Activists (CAs) from the Anglican parishes, in partnership with church leaders, vestry members and women’s ministries. The bulk of in-person activities were conducted as a part of Awareness Phase from January to March 2021. The SASA! Faith community mobilization approach targets approximately 2,500 people in the three Anglican communities. In 2021, 73% [SR2] of the target population engaged with VAWG prevention content. Evidence from the end-of-Awareness Phase Rapid Assessment Survey showed that faith community members in all three parishes demonstrated a positive change in knowledge and attitudes towards violence against women and girls based on the PVAWFFS programme. Community members were able to demonstrate knowledge of the meaning of “power”, the fact that men’s power over women is the root cause of violence against women and the differentiation between types of violence against women and their consequences. Furthermore, community members demonstrated a shift in attitudes that support the following statements: Violence against women is never acceptable. Women and men can move beyond the roles society sets for them. Balanced power between women and men is healthy, safe and benefits both. Everyone has power. Women should not be blamed for violence against them. Violence against women is a community issue, not a private issue. The PVAWFFS programme further demonstrated an increased ability to engage across all levels of influence and strengthen community-based relationships with partners. In particular, the House of Sarah successfully engaged the Fiji Police Force – Southern Division, including the Divisional Police Commander Southern for the purposes of strengthening their engagement within the Community Action Group network of the programme. The Fiji Police Force plays a critical role at national and local levels with mandates to uphold community safety, specifically as a frontline provider of safety and security for survivors of violence and provider of Domestic Violence Restraining Orders (DVRO). With significant advocacy and engagement, a strengthened relationship evolved between the PVAWFFS staff and Community Activists, and the police. A series of information sharing sessions on key issues pertaining to unequal power relations between men and women were conducted, including a session with 15 senior police officers from the Southern Division. Regular meetings (pending COVID-19 regulations for in-person meetings) with the DPC Southern and senior staff were held throughout the year to identify key issues, gaps and ways forward. Other partners regularly engaged by the House of Sarah include the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Medical Services Pacific and Empower Pacific. Despite the restrictive nature of COVID-19 in Fiji, the House of Sarah and PVAWFFS programme were able to pivot into a series of adaptations including: virtual engagement with community members, integration of COVID-19 considerations in sessions on VAWG, internal skills-building and reflection with staff and Community Activists on digital engagement and self-care practices. The House of Sarah adapted Raising Voices’ global guidance and materials on COVID-19 [3] for Fiji’s context and in i-Taukei language. The materials were shared via social media, what’s app / viber groups and in in-person engagements when restrictions eased. In partnership with UN Women, Raising Voices continued to provide technical assistance to the House of Sarah including trainings on M&E database and COVID-19 adaptations. UN Women continues to work in close partnership with the House of Sarah to implement the PVAWFFS programme and ensure the sustainability of the programme’s outcomes and impact. In 2021, the programme launched the Support Phase, which is well underway for a revised completion in quarter two of 2022 due to COVID-19. Indication of this sustainability at the community level was shared during UN Women and House of Sarah’s annual reflection workshop: Increased interest

Women and men in target communities demonstrate support to survivors of violence and practice balanced power in their relationships

Prevention infrastructure in Fiji, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Samoa and at the regional level was strengthened through promising changes in harmful social norms alongside strengthening of the enabling environment that condemns violence. The intended outcomes of changing attitudes to ensure more balanced power within interpersonal and intimate partner relationships was achieved. This has been achieved through: Positive changes in women and men's support to survivors and increased balanced power in relationships as documented in Fiji through the House of Sarah (HoS) and Anglican Church in Fiji's programme, "Preventing Violence Against Women in Fiji's Faith Setting" and the Kiribati through the "Strengthening Peaceful Villages (SPV) Programme". In Kiribati, 38% of women and 46% of men assisted a woman who was being beaten by her husband or partner in the previous 12 months, which is an increase from the baseline of 24 and 27 percentage points (p.p) respectively. Similarly in Fiji, 56% of men and 73% of women have assisted a woman who was experiencing violence at home, an average increase of 38.25 p.p. The impact of developing evidence on what works to prevent VAWG in communities across the Pacific has enormous potential, with faith-based partners regionally showing interest in scaling up what works in Fiji. VAWG prevention infrastructure in Fiji was significantly strengthened with the submission to the Solicitor General's office the Fiji National Action Plan to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls, following comprehensive consultations across the nation and intensive support to the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation. At the regional level, the sport sector gained significant momentum and visibility on women in sport through strategic communications campaigns on women in football at the regional Women's Nations Cup, elevation of the Pacific at the International Working Group on Women in Sport held in Auckland, New Zealand and the expansion of partners visibly speaking out on gender discrimination with UN Women, including Oceania Football Confederation and Oceania National Olympics Committees. At the regional level, faith institutions and faith organisations advanced their commitments and actions towards gender equality initiatives. Most notably, The Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) partnered with UN Women to develop and launch a Gender Status Card for Churches. The status card is the first of its kind in the Pacific and has received international recognition by the World Council of Churches as a best practice. In fact, the World Council of Churches lauded the tool as the first of its kind globally amongst its members and networks. The status card is an action-oriented resource, developed in consultation and partnership with member churches across the Pacific and guides PCC’s member churches and other faith organizations in the region on assessing, monitoring, and implementing their commitments towards creating safe churches free from GBV. UN Women played a pivotal role in achieving the aforementioned outcomes. UN Women provided substantive technical assistance in programme design, M&E, implementation of interventions and communications and advocacy. Through close, engaged mentorship and capacity-strengthening built over years of relationship development with diverse partners in the aforementioned countries, progress was realized. Despite multiple challenges including disasters, COVID-19 and changes in the political will to forward gender equality, UN Women’s programme on ending violence against women and girls has been able to remain steadfast in its theory of change and approach to facilitating a more equitable Pacific for all women and girls.