Gender Based Violence (GBV), especially intimate partner violence, is a grave concern in Papua New Guinea, where the rate of violence against women is around 80%. One in two women in the country are victims of intimate partner violence. One long-term measure to address intimate partner violence...
Category - Pacific and PNG
Perhaps the numbers aren’t looking so good for Sogavare in the Solomons
Who will emerge as prime minister from Wednesday’s elections in Solomon Islands? The prime minister doesn’t shape policy in Solomons as much as some commentators suggest. Prime ministers there are largely prisoners of political economy. Still, as I wrote on 4 April, exactly who emerges on top after...
West Papua Mini Film Festival: a review
I came to this evening of short films not sure what to expect. I have a history with West Papua (here referring to the Indonesian part of the island of New Guinea, which comprises five provinces, one named “West Papua”) from my days fronting the legendary West Papuan band the “Black Brothers” in...
Decriminalisation of same-sex relations in Cook Islands
On 14 April 2023, during the second reading of the Crimes (Sexual Offence) Amendment Bill 2023, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, in this speech, said: We are a free country, we have freedom of speech, we have freedom of expression, we have freedom to worship … We have freedom to love who we...
The forgotten Asian workers in NZ’s Recognised Seasonal Employer...
During New Zealand’s 2023 election campaign, a pre-election promise made by the National-led...
Cocoa farming in PNG for all generations
Global demand and prices for cocoa have soared in the past few years with the price now the highest...
AIFFP oblivious to excessive PNG port charges
PNG’s Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) recently undertook a review of the...
Will Sogavare be back as PM after the Solomon Islands elections?
As I said in my last post, wise political scientists avoid making predictions about elections in...
There could be trouble ahead: the 2024 Solomon Islands elections
You could forgive the average Solomon Islander for wondering whether the only thing that ever gets...
Uncharted waters II: an update on politics in Tonga
Tonga’s Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala recently led a government delegation to the second Japan...