Sistas, Let's Talk

For many girls in the Pacific, talking about menstruation, sex and childbirth is so taboo that their mothers are not the ones to explain it to them. But understanding sex is vital for so many reasons. If you don't know about sex, you can't know about sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies. So how can we encourage people to have more open conversations about sex? This week on Sist...

The Pacific region, has some of the highest rates of gender-based abuse in the world. Far too many women suffer physical and sexual violence at the hands of a family member or a former spouse. But domestic abuse is not just physical. It can come in the form of emotional abuse — like controlling behaviour, isolation, and insults intended to damage a woman's state of mind. This week on Sistas Let's...

You probably know about the last moments of the Rainbow Warrior. But what do you know about the Greenpeace ship's last voyage before it was bombed by the French in New Zealand in 1985? Where had it come from, why was it there and what was it doing? Find out in The Last Voyage of the Rainbow Warrior.

When you educate a woman you educate a nation, however, in many parts of the Pacific it's still difficult to access a good education, because of distance, or the cost, or even family obligations. And when parents have to choose whether their sons or daughters will go to school, girls are still missing out. Fortunately, that is changing as more young parents are graduating from high school and univ...

Debbie Kaore was a well-known athlete in Papua New Guinea, but behind the scenes she was one of the many women in her country going through domestic violence. When her partner hit her with a hot iron she let her friends share a video of her injuries. Debbie tells Natasha Meten on Sistas Let's Talk why she wanted the world to know what she was going through.

Getting to the Olympics is no easy feat. Especially when you're from Pacific Island nations that don't always have the professional sporting facilities and funding to support you in your training.   We meet three women who dedicated their time and efforts to achieve excellence in sport and at the same time, have pushed the boundaries and narratives of the role of women in their countries. Hear fro...

Growing up in the Pacific Island culture, one of the many commandments we have to live by is to respect our elders.  At times this means dealing with certain members of family that we just have to tolerate for the rest of our lives - -  our overbearing aunties. But, of course, we do more than just, tolerate them. We adore them, we look up to them, and we love them. And most of all, we obey them.  ...

The internet and social media have changed our lives in so many ways. It's connected us to communities and family, helped us express ourselves and share our stories. But there’s also a dark side to using social media that can be unsafe for women. Hear how we can use the internet to grow and connect and at the same time tackle online abuse. 

This week we’ve selected some of our favourite episodes that celebrate women taking the lead and doing amazing things for themselves and their communities.

Women are the backbone of society in Papua New Guinea, but when it comes to who has the power to make big decisions, particularly around resources, it's the men who dominate this space. Women are often excluded, dismissed or told to focus on domestic chores. But more and more organisations are actively working with women to empower them with leadership skills to help address climate change.

When Tongan woman Alisi Jack-Kaufusi was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at just 24-years-old, she was in disbelief. The subsequent surgeries and treatments have taken their toll, but, after seven years living with the disease, Alisi is passionate about sharing her story to help raise awareness of ovarian cancer and ensure it gets more resources into research, treatment and prevention.  

We discuss the power of self care and community support to help you escape violence and create a path that's healthier and safer.

Women face many challenges, but there are many across the Pacific making it in business and leadership

Florence Swamy's job is to build peace, ranging from working with relocated climate-affected communities to dealing with violence in villages and working with Fiji's military.

Sistas, Let’s Talk is a show for women across the Pacific region.

Sistas, Let’s Talk is a show for women across the Pacific region.

Sistas, Let’s Talk is a show for women across the Pacific region.

Sistas, Let’s Talk is a show for women across the Pacific region.

This edition of Sista's Let's Talk was a repeat of the program broadcast on 28th September 2023 Changes to Australia’s PALM scheme have been life-changing to many families across the Pacific. We’ve heard from women who have made the sacrifice for their families, signing up to contracts that can be as long as three years. For those in Australia, it is often a culture shock, lonely and isolating. Bu...

Sistas, Let’s Talk is a show for women across the Pacific region.

Facing stigma can be one of the hardest battles for single mothers, along with financial hardship and lack of family support. Being accepted by their family or community can make a huge difference for single mothers. On Sistas Let's Talk, Natasha Meten speaks to mothers who have raised their children without a partner and want to share their stories so that women like them don't have to feel so al...

When the Bougainville conflict erupted in 1988, Rose Pihei was living away from her village on the south of the island. After the crisis – which led to killed 20000 people and saw many more displaced – Rose saw the crucial role women played in rebuilding their communities. Inspired to create lasting change, she co-founded the Bougainville Women's Federation, empowering women and fostering peace in...

Child protection workers in the Pacific are seeing increased reports of child abuse including sexual abuse. According to a recent study by Save the Children, more than, 80% of the child protection workers who were surveyed in Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Fiji said emotional, physical and sexual violence had increased or significantly increased in their country. When it com...

The Pacific corporate world still has a long way to go when it comes to being inclusive and supportive of both neurodivergence and mental health. It's an issue Samoan sisters Olisana Mariner-Hughes and Okalani-Mariner are addressing through their business Onelook Studio: a social enterprise helping companies with their digital transformation. But they're also addressing inclusion on a more persona...

So many women in the Pacifc put up with persistent pain. It might be because they can't access the care they need. Or they can't afford to take time off work. Or it could be that women are conditioned to be stoic and put other people's needs before their own. So how do they get up every day and endure such pain? And more importantly, what needs to change so that they can actually stop and get the...