Up-skilling Journalists and Advocates on Reporting Family Violence

23/08/2013 16:57

A one week workshop was held at the Basilica of St. Antonio Padua from the 15th to the 19th of April.

This workshop was organized by the National Planning Committee for the International Women’s Day under the Secretariat of the Department of Women’s Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs.

More than forty participants from different Ministries whom were relevant stakeholders were there. This training aimed at building capacity of journalists and advocates to write and report on Family Violence. Also to use statistics and information to put Family Violence and its prevention onto the public agenda. Again, to write real stories about real victims using best media practice (journalism). Also to build awareness of 2012 Family Protection Bill and to established strong information sharing, networking and maintain partnership between media, government ministries and the community.

Topics covered were Putting Family Violence in Perspective, Statistics on Domestic Violence in Tonga, Analysis of top local Family Violence stories and panel of frontline NGOs whom are service providers.

Lesila To’ia and Tupou M. Lanumata attended on behalf of the WCCC. Guest speakers also stressed the importance of reporting family violence hence it is a great burden to the nation as a whole. The Police Commissioner, Grant O’Fee emphasized “it is wrong to hit your wife and the police have a duty to assist and help the victim.”

Solicitor General, ‘Aminiasi Kefu talked about the Family Protection Bill. He elaborated on the Offence and Penalty, “it is good to have a deterrent so that whenever an offender starts to attack, he or she should think twice about the penalty and consequence before committing such crimes.”

The Governor General of the Tonga National Reserve Bank, Mrs. Siosi Cocker Mafi talked about the economic cost of family violence n Tonga, “although a formal study have not been done, we can estimate and make approximation in relation and comparing with our neighboring countries like Fiji, New Zealand and Australia. It is more than a million dollar, so we must do something about it.”

The workshop was facilitated by Stephanie Edmond from New Zealand and financially assisted by Australia Aid.