Gender violence

Taliaoa Filipo Tipoai is the Chairman of the Samoa Victims Support Group Auckland, and has been running his own sessions for men in New Zealand for 35 years.

He says there have been many successes from his forum where men can talk freely and open up about themselves.

He says too often men blame their partner or their culture for their own anger issues and violence, but they need to realise they have a choice.

The UN's '16 days of Activism against Gender-based Violence' campaign is currently in full-swing, with events taking place throughout the Pacific.

The UN Women's Deputy Representative for Fiji, Nicolas Burniat says the issue affects the majority of women, with two out of three women in the region experiencing violence.

"This is the largest single violation of human rights in the world, it's also the crime that's the least prosecuted and punished. And it's a real threat to peace and development. But if you look at the Pacific the amounts are double."