 | |
| Abbreviation | WRAM |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2011 |
| Purpose | Women's rights |
Main organ | Board |
Women's Rights Action Movement (WRAM) is a women's rights organisation based in the Solomon Islands, which campaigns for greater representation of women in politics, as well as advocating for changes to the governance of the country to enable gender parity.
Women's Rights Action Movement (WRAM) was founded in 2011 as a registered charity in the Solomon Islands. [1] The initial aims of the organisation included: to enable more women to participate in decision-making and leadership roles; to take affirmative action to combat inequalities faced by women; to challenge the prevalence of violence against women in the country. [2] It also sought to educate Solomon Islanders about their rights and the impact of government policies, as well as critiquing the work of the government. [3]
In 2013 the organisation received a grant from the International Women's Development Agency to support set-up costs for its administration. [1] In 2014, the then President Rose Isukana said that although "WRAM is a new organisation ... those behind it are not new to working with and on issues affecting women". [1]
WRAM has been involved in a number of initiatives aimed at combatting gender inequality in the Solomon Islands. In the 2014 Solomon Islands elections WRAM supported the media campaigns of women candidates. [4]
In 2016, WRAM worked with five other women's organisations to convene the first Solomon Islands Women's Forum, whose purpose was to build capacity and understanding between non-governmental organisations across the provinces. [5] In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented from women's organisations from gathering for the forum in Honiara, so instead, versions of the forum were held in each province. [6]
WRAM, working with Pionie Boso in 2016, was also instrumental in bringing a change to Solomon Islands law through the Family Protection Act, which for the very first time made physical, sexual, psychological and economic abuse illegal in the country. [7] [8] It also acknowledged the impacts of psychological and economic abuse for the first time. [8] Following the change in the law WRAM advocated for greater resourcing for the Family Protection Act's Implementation Plan. [8] The same year, WRAM was an active partner in the process of creating a new constitution for the Solomon Islands. [9] [10]
In 2018 Anika Kingmele spoke at the Women Practise Parliament event in Honiara, which was supported by WRAM, where fifty women from across the Solomon Island provinces were encouraged to consider ways they could become increasingly involved in decision-making processes. [11] The participation of women in parliamentary life is a major goal of WRAM: in the Solomon Islands, as of 2018, there were only two women MPs. WRAM has been advocating for reserved parliamentary seats for women in its provincial government. [12]
Initially the organisation was set up with two staff members, as well as a trustee board of nine and a financial board of eighteen members. [1] It is a member of Women's Action for Voice and Empowerment (WAVE), which is an umbrella organisation advocating for the voices of women across Melanesia. [11] The structure includes a President, vice-president, Treasurer, Secretary to the Board and other members. [13] [3]
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in the Melanesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. This page is about the history of the nation state rather than the broader geographical area of the Solomon Islands archipelago, which covers both Solomon Islands and Bougainville Island, a province of Papua New Guinea. For the history of the archipelago not covered here refer to the former administration of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate, the North Solomon Islands and the History of Bougainville.
Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons, is a country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, to the northeast of Australia. It is directly adjacent to Papua New Guinea to the northwest, Australia to the southwest, New Caledonia and Vanuatu to the southeast, Fiji, Wallis and Futuna, and Tuvalu to the east, and Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia to the north. It has a total area of 30,407 square kilometres, and a population of 734,887 according to the official estimates for mid 2023. Its capital, Honiara, is located on the largest island, Guadalcanal. The country takes its name from the wider area of the Solomon Islands archipelago, which is a collection of Melanesian islands that also includes the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, but excludes the Santa Cruz Islands.
The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is an inter-governmental organization that aims to enhance cooperation among countries and territories of Oceania, including formation of a trade bloc and regional peacekeeping operations. It was founded in 1971 as the South Pacific Forum (SPF), and changed its name in 1999 to "Pacific Islands Forum", so as to be more inclusive of the Forum's Oceania-spanning membership of both north and south Pacific island countries, including Australia. It is a United Nations General Assembly observer.
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The Solomon Islands Christian Association (SICA) is an ecumenical Christian non-governmental organisation in the Solomon Islands. The association comprises the five largest Christian churches in the country, the Anglican Church of Melanesia, the Roman Catholic Church, the South Seas Evangelical Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and the United Church.
International Women's Development Agency Inc. (IWDA) is an Australian non-profit organisation that works to support women's rights in Asia and the Pacific.
The Commonwealth Youth Programme, also known as CYP, is an international development agency working with young people between the ages of 15 and 29. Part of the Commonwealth Secretariat, CYP is active in the Commonwealth's 54 member countries. CYP has a head office in London with four centres in Africa, Asia, Caribbean and Pacific. Currently there are Four Regional Directors and 16 programme officers plus support staff are working there.
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Honiara is the capital and largest city of Solomon Islands, situated on the northwestern coast of Guadalcanal. As of 2021, it had a population of 92,344 people. The city is served by Honiara International Airport and the seaport of Point Cruz, and lies along the Kukum Highway.
Solomon Islands is a sovereign country in Melanesia consisting of many islands with a population of 561,231 (2013). It became self-governing from the United Kingdom in 1976 after three previous attempts at forming a Constitution. The Constitution of Solomon Islands was enacted in 1978. This however led to conflicts between cultures and armed conflict in the late 1990s forced a review of the 1978 Constitution. This review resulted in the Federal Constitution of the Solomon Islands Bill 2004 (SI) and various other amendments. The Human Rights Chapter, however, remained unchanged.
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Town Ground is a suburb in Honiara, Solomon Islands, located in the main center on the Tandai Highway. Town Ground is in the Honiara City Council ward of Nggosi and Rove-Lengakiki.
Solomon Islands National Council of Women is a non-governmental women's organisation based in Honiara, in the Solomon Islands. It was founded in 1983
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RSIPV Lata is one of the Pacific Forum patrol boats Australia gave to the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force.
RSIPV Auki is one of the Pacific Forum patrol boats Australia gave to the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force.
Pionie Boso is a women's rights activist from the Solomon Islands, who was awarded an International Women of Courage Award in 2011 for her work towards ending gender-based violence in the country.
Savina Nongebatu is a Solomon Islands disability rights advocate who led People with Disabilities Solomon Islands between 2004 and 2011, and served as the deputy CEO of the Pacific Disability Forum between 2018 and 2019.
Afu Lia Billy is a women's rights activist and writer in Solomon Islands. Since the late 1970s, she has worked to promote women's rights and combat violence against women, including through work with various local and international NGOs.