By Cindy Trinh
Impunity Watch Reporter, Oceania

NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga – The President of Tonga’s For Women and Families group, Ma’a Fafine Moe Famili’s Betty Blake, has taken a controversial step towards women’s rights. As part of the protest against the Tongan parliament for ignoring women’s rights, Blake has committed herself to fasting until the government makes some significant changes.

Recently, the Tongan government rejected the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). As a result, women who seek refuge from abuse are not receiving the adequate help they need. General Manager Ofa-Ki-Levuka Guttenbeil Likilliki for the Tonga National Centre for Women and Children (TNCWC), an NGO that provides refuge and advocacy for victims of abuse, states that women who seek refuge from abuse have no access to land or financial support because of the Tongan government’s resistance to implement CEDAW.

Tonga’s long history of ignoring women’s rights has brought international human rights concerns. After 15 years of struggling for women’s rights, Betty Blake has resorted to prayer and fasting.

Betty Blake is fasting in support of a petition calling for the removal of the Prime Minister and his deputy from office. Betty Blake states that she is committed to fasting from 6 am until 6 pm until the leaders are replaced.

In offering the reason why Betty Blake has resorted to prayer and fasting, she stated: “We see that they don’t really consider the status of our people. That’s why we are fasting. That’s why we are crying to God. Because we know that there are a lot of things we’ve done in this country but it’s almost like it lands on deaf ears on the people in policy and people in decision-making. So we thought this is the last thing we can do, is to fast and pray.”

Betty Blake further urges the leaders of overseas governments and the international women’s community to fight for change, and join the petition to replace the Prime Minister and his deputy.

For more information, please see:
Radio New Zealand International – Fasting last resort for head of Tongan women and families group – 16 October, 2009

Island Voices – Tongan leader for women and families group resorts to fasting for women’s rights – 13 October, 2009

Matangi: Tonga Online – Tongan parliament blatantly ignores women’s rights – 19 September, 2009