Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Mereseini Vuniwaqa says women and girls continue to suffer domestic violence in the region which is a growing concern.
Speaking at the Pacific Island Countries Regional Preparatory Meeting on the Beijing +25 Review, Vuniwaqa says girls in the Pacific are still constrained by social norms including harmful practices such as child marriage, deeply rooted gender roles and a widespread burden of unpaid care and domestic work.
She says the meeting will look at closing the gender gaps in the region with regard to equal opportunities.
Vuniwaqa says even in this age, men are paid more than women in most workforces despite doing more work than men.
She says the achievements of the last 25 years have been significant and the transformation of some of the challenging conditions Pacific women and girls face is notable.
The Minister adds that while the progress since the Beijing declaration has been outstanding, real change has been too slow for most women and girls which has not been consistent or comprehensive.
