Exploring Intimate Partner Violence in Polynesia: A Scoping Review

Experience and impact of gender-based violence in Honiara, Solomon Islands: a cross-sectional study recording violence over a 12-month period

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to collect data on the experience and impact of gender-based violence experienced by women attending health clinics in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

METHOD

Any woman over the age of 18 who attended a local health clinic in Honiara, Solomon Islands during the time of recruitment (ten consecutive weekdays in May 2015) was eligible to participate in an interviewer administered, in-person survey, gathering data on gender-based violence over the past 12 months.

RESULTS

A total of 100 women were recruited into this study. Of these women, 47% of women reported experiencing physical or sexual violence in the past 12 months. The most common perpetrators were the woman's husband or boyfriend. There are low rates of reporting, particularly through formal avenues such as to police or village leaders. Alcohol was involved in more than half the cases of reported violence.

CONCLUSION

Women in this study report high rates of gender-based violence. To our knowledge, this is the only study examining women's personal experience of gender-based violence in the Solomon Islands, with self-reported data on the frequency and nature of the violence, and the impact on women, including physical and mental, utilisation of healthcare services, police and legal involvement. Efforts to reduce gender-based violence should aim to reduce intimate partner violence, increase reporting and address wider social attitudes towards gender equality.

Mentoring: A Traditional Cook Island Approach to Support Men

The present study examines a unique Cook Island approach to the rehabilitation and support of men, particularly those who have been convicted of criminal offending or who are experiencing other mental health or interpersonal difficulties. The culturally appropriate method of enabling change is offered via a community-based 24-hr mentoring system to support men. Run by men, the program is based on traditional Pacific ways of male mentoring in which one man helps another. This study examines the male mentoring program via qualitative analyses of semi-structured interviews. Seven men who had experienced mentoring and six mentors who deliver the program describe the mentoring system and their experiences. The study identifies several perceived benefits or themes in relation to the program. The unique Cook Islands' male mentoring program is viewed as beneficial in that it allows males to be open and supported to make change to be re-absorbed into the community, have healthy functioning, and reduce re-offending via the ongoing supportive care.

Indigenous Cultural Safety in Recognizing and Responding to Family Violence: A Systematic Scoping Review

This systematic scoping review synthesizes the recommended approaches for providing culturally safe family violence interventions to Indigenous peoples in health care and social service settings. A total of 3783 sources were identified through our electronic database searches, hand-searching of Indigenous-focused journals, and backward and forward citation chaining. After screening those sources in duplicate, 28 papers were included for synthesis in June 2020. Forward citation chaining of these 28 included articles in June 2022 identified an additional 304 possible articles for inclusion; following the screening of those 304 articles, an additional 6 were retained in the review. Thus, a total of 34 articles were included for data extraction and narrative synthesis. Initial results were presented to members of the Six Nations of the Grand River Youth Mental Wellness Committee, and their feedback was incorporated into our inductive organization of findings. Our findings represent three thematic areas that reflect key recommendations for health care and social service provision to Indigenous families for whom family violence is a concern: (1) creating the conditions for cultural safety; (2) healing at the individual and community level; and (3) system-level change. These findings demonstrate the need to center Indigenous peoples and perspectives in the development and implementation of cultural safety approaches, to acknowledge and address historically contingent causes of past and present family violence including colonization and related state policies, and to transform knowledge and power relationships at the provider, organization, and government level.