Five Pacific Women Activists Making a Difference in 2020

Globally, 1 in 3 women will experience some form of gender-based violence in their lifetime.

For women and girls in the Pacific, it's closer to 3 in 4, or more than double — a statistic that can generally be attributed to the region's strict gender power dynamics, unique social taboos, inadequate education systems, and limited female political and economic representation.

For decades, however, women’s rights activists throughout the Pacific have worked to sweep aside cultural taboos and promote discussions of social norms in an effort to diminish gender inequality. These activists have campaigned for equality while addressing the various health, environmental, and sanitation issues that so often disproportionately affect women and girls.

As the world marks 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, a United Nations campaign which runs from Nov. 25 to Dec. 10, Global Citizen is highlighting five incredible Pacific female activists in the hope that others will be inspired to take similar action.

1. Vavine Nadesalingam, Papua New Guinea  Nadesalingam is the founder of the Voices for Village Foundation, an organization dedicated to addressing education, health, water, and sanitation issues in rural Papua New Guinea.
2. Elizabeth Kite, Tonga After realizing that Tonga's young people were not being listened to or recognized as agents of change, Kite founded Tonga Youth Leaders. The youth-led organization empowers the nation’s young people to become changemakers, provides grants to those addressing issues in their communities, and gives individuals a platform to share their stories with the world.
3. Leilua Lino, Samoa Lino is an ambassador for peace with SVSG. She raises awareness about abuse through school and community awareness programs, which have already reached 3,000 children and encouraged a further 100 to report cases of violence.
4. Milikini Failautusi, Tuvalu After being forced to move from her ancestral atoll to the main Tuvalu island of Funafuti due to rising seas, Failautusi became a climate activist.
5. Kathy Jetn̄il-Kijiner, Marshall Islands Her book, Iep Jaltok: Poems From a Marshallese Daughter, tells the story of life on the Marshall Islands, a collection of atolls and volcanic islands between Hawaii and Australia.