From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 18, no. 3, December 2003.

Reaching out to Tongan women to explain their rights, and to help eliminate discrimination against them, is the aim of a newly formed women’s working group.

The informal group was established in Nuku’alofa, following a one week workshop, September 22-26, which looked at the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW ).

The organisers said main idea behind setting up the women’s working group was to encourage awareness about CEDAW in Tonga, and at the same time promote the rights of women.

“CEDAW lifts and liberates women to reach the highest level, so by having this group we could inform and educate other women on what they can achieve just through the knowledge of the convention,” said Betty Blake, a woman’s rights activist, and supporter of the Legal Literacy Project of the Nuku’alofa Centre for Women and Children.

The group is planning outreach programs to villages and awareness workshops. It consists of over 10 volunteer women from government, non- government organisations and various churches.

Tonga’s Secretary to Cabinet, ‘Eseta Fusitu’a, told the workshop that in her view a main problem was women’s self infliction upon themselves.

“It is not the society that is discriminating against women, and it is not men who are holding women back, but is women who are holding themselves back,” said ‘Eseta.