rp21 situational analysis - Pacific Health Voices

household expenditure was VUV645 425
(Vanuatu vatu), 971 with VUV22 808 of that
amount spent on tobacco and alcohol. 972
The data were not disaggregated between
tobacco and alcohol.
There is a clear need to engage stakeholders
in developing responses to alcohol and violence
and other substance use issues as advocated
in a 2003 report on the development
of an alcohol policy for Vanuatu. 973 Challenges
for regulating alcohol consumption
are highlighted by two recent high-profile
incidents involving government officials. 974
One incident was an alleged sexual assault of
a minor; the other involved alleged violence
against a journalist by police. In each case
the perpetrators were said to be under the influence
of alcohol. These cases remain under
investigation, but the outcome will no doubt
provide some insight into the official view
on alcohol. An update on the current status
of Vanuatu’s three brewing companies was
not found, but in 2003 it was reported that
at least one was government-sponsored. 975
The establishment of the Violence Against
Men and Family Protection Centre, in
response to the view that the promotion of
western-style women’s rights is undermining
traditional Vanuatu kastom, 976 illustrates
the potential sensitivity of these issues, particularly
where alcohol is linked to domestic
violence. The emergence of a ‘backlash
organisation’ emphasises the need for a consultative
process recognising the roles both
traditional structures and modern systems
can play in developing responses.
A study of the RSE initiative with New Zealand
research found the majority of participants
were males in their late 20s to early
40s, literate but with no schooling beyond
Year 10 (4th Form). More importantly, they
are ‘relatively healthy and drink kava or alcohol
less frequently than non-participants’. 977
However, bias in the selection process exists,
with a number of communities selecting only
applicants not ‘dependent’ on cigarettes, alcohol
or kava. 978 As the recruitment cycles continue,
this may begin to impact on community
attitudes to alcohol and kava consumption,
pressuring them to reduce consumption. For
some regions, low application numbers were
197
971 Vanuatu currency AU$1 = approx. 82 vatu (July 2009).
972 Vanuatu Statistics Office, Household and Income Expenditure Survey. Available at:
(accessed March
2009); approximately 3.5 per cent of household expenditure.
973 G. Humphrey & S. Casswell (2003), Development of an Alcohol Policy for Vanuatu: final report.
Auckland: Centre for Social and Health Outcomes Research and Evaluation (SHORE), Massey
University.
974 P. O’Connor (2009), Moti debacle a smudge on Aussie Government, Fiji Sun, 25 December
2009. Available at:
(accessed January 2009).
975 Above, fn.973.
976 John P. Taylor (2008), The social life of rights: ‘gender antagonism’, modernity and raet in
Vanuatu. Australian Journal of Anthropology, 19(2): 165–178.
977 Above, fn.939.
978 Ibid.
Vanuatu