Home-grown initiatives in the Pacific to address violence against women and girls have a better chance of success than overseas-designed programmes, a regional meeting has been told.
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Melki Anton, of Papua New Guinea, said the initiative run by the Pacific Male Advocacy Programme was best practice because it was based on the experiences of those affected.
Mr Anton said Pacific while men held strong patriarchal attitudes supported by inequalities found in the church, the programme helped males look at their behaviour.
He said it had been been a challenge for the advocates due to social and cultural norms that exist in the region.
"Men have realised their own violence including me when I started in this programme. I may not be physically violent to women, but in the way I speak, in the way I'm in control or intimidate, that can also be included as part of violence," Melki Anton said.