WOMEN

Weekender

Gender equality involves everyone: Dr. Fiona Hukula

For International Women’s Day 2022, The World Bank talked with women leaders across East Asia and the Pacific who are advancing gender equality today to help create a more sustainable future for all. Dr Fiona Hukula is a gender specialist at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat. Her work across community, policy and academia shows that gender equality involves us all.

What inspired you to work to advance gender equality?
In some ways, I stumbled across the gender space by accident. I’ve always had a very big interest in the criminal justice system, especially the informal justice system in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Prior to joining the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), I was a researcher for the PNG National Research Institute and my focus was on gender-based violence. I’m interested in how women can access services in relation to gender-based violence. This passion eventually led to my current work. I firmly believe in women’s leadership across society.

If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
I’m fun, outgoing and very approachable.

What are some of the challenges in addressing gender-based violence in PNG?
A key challenge is the friction between our formal legal system and our customary understanding of issues relating to gender. For example, PNG has been independent for nearly 50 years, however the criminal justice system doesn’t reach enough people, especially women. That’s where the informal justice system works in tandem with the criminal justice system to deal with gender-based violence.

This year’s theme is equality today for a sustainable tomorrow. In your opinion, how does gender inequality connect with climate change?
Gender inequality connects with climate change in many ways.  There are not enough women at the table at the highest levels of discussions around climate change. When people must move due to climate change, migration impacts women as there’s the possibility of violence, issues around food security, access to services and other areas that affect women.
At every level, whether it’s grassroots activism, policy, or politics, we need the voices of women to be amplified to represent the concerns of women and how climate change affects our communities.

As a researcher, how can we better connect academic research to creating change in the local community?
One way is to ensure that the research that’s undertaken is translated via various forums. That could include blog pieces, op-eds or communication through platforms like radio. That makes it easier for the general public to be able to understand what the research is all about. It’s also important for policy makers to connect with, and access, that research.

What were some of the challenges you faced as a leader, and what did you learn from those challenges?
One of the biggest has been the belief that gender equality is a foreign concept that is introduced and driven by outsiders. Yet, we do know that we have local understandings of equality and gender.
For PNG, equal participation by women is in our constitution. It can be a struggle to engage with people in a way that allows them to understand the importance of having women at the table – whether it’s at a community meeting, local level government, public service, within the private sector or politics.
I’ve learned that it’s important that Pacific women are front and center in these discussions to challenge misconceptions of gender equality being a foreign agenda.
The reality is that Pacific women have been fighting for equality for a long time.

What needs to be done to ensure more women end up in leadership positions in the region?
It’s important that there are more opportunities to mentor young women. I’ve met so many amazing young women through my role at PIFS. We have so many amazing women in PNG and in the Pacific.
It’s important that we learn from the past and from the trailblazing Pacific women who have paved the way for us. But now we must ensure that we engage with young women who are the future leaders of the Pacific. We need to share and work together to achieve the greater goal of equality for women and girls.

What would be your advice for Pacific women?
My advice to Pacific women is to keep striving. Keep striving for all the things that you want in
your life, for your community, for your country and your region. We’ve had so many challenges. Not just gender equality but also climate change and disasters, and we have come through these challenges as a region.
Keep the faith. Keep on keeping on. Reach out to mentors and people you can confide in. Mental health is an important thing. In this day and age, where we work and live under so much pressure, it’s important to keep the sisterhood going.

https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2022/03/08/fiona-hukula


Service with dedication: Deborah Michelle Onga

Deborah Michelle Onga, Group Legal Counsel at Steamships Trading Company in Papua New Guinea (PNG), has built her legal career through a commitment to service and with a determination to craft a legacy that empowers young women to follow in her footsteps.

What inspired you to join the legal profession?
My mother named me after a Bible character – Deborah, a judge in the Old Testament (Judges 4). And so, for as long as I can remember, I knew I was going to take up law.  My mother’s lack of financial independence also had a profound impact on my career choice.
She was denied the opportunity to be educated because of cultural fears around her worth when obtaining bride price and upholding the honor of the family name.
She was part of a generation of women who had to rely on their husbands financially. When I got older, my family lived in a company compound in PNG where one of the managers was a company lawyer and a young woman. She had her own big house and flashy car.
She was from the same province as me and she embodied an independence I wanted to have.
I made up my mind that I was going to be a lawyer. If she could do it, I could do it too.

If you could describe yourself in 3 words, what would they be?
Determined, adventurous and diligent. If I want something, I will make sure that I work extremely hard to get to where I need to go. I won’t take no for an answer! And if it means to drive somewhere on my own, I will do it. I’m a little crazy [laughs].

What qualities make a good lawyer?
Integrity. You’re going to work long hours that no one is going to thank you for that require personal stamina, and you will need to do the right thing even when no one is watching. Diligence.
Like I said, it’s long hours and not as glamorous as how they portray it in the TV show Suits. It’s a workhorse job and you only get to stand in front of the client or in court for a fraction of the time.
No one sees the mammoth hours you spend in the ‘dungeon’ working to deliver for your client. It also requires humility.
Have the humility to learn, continuously ask questions and to know that you are not working for yourself, but in the interests of your client.

Do you have any advice for young Pacific women aspiring to work in law?
Come at it with an open mind. People often have the misconception that law is glamorous. Most people don’t realize that it’s really, long hours of work.
Having said that, law is an interesting field to work in. Law creates the framework for society and your work could deal with a broad range of sectors, like law and justice, corporate, government, public policy, banking finance, real estate, and not-for-profit.
Lawyers are trusted advisors because they help decision makers navigate through a sea of issues in any given transaction. I would say that law is a field for anyone that is interested in living a life of service because you’re always working for the best interest of your client.

As a woman in the legal profession, how have you navigated self-confidence and embracing your leadership position?
It’s been a journey of self-discovery. It’s important to acknowledge your weak spots and create a growth plan to become better, or find the right resourcing to complement you.
It takes humility to constantly self-reflect and to acknowledge when you can’t do it on your own. Confidence naturally builds from experience.
My team and I are constantly thrown into situations where we must think on our feet and quickly learn as we go.
Your confidence in your ability to do a job should not be driven by public opinion. You determine that. You know what you can deliver. And if you push yourself, you will even surprise yourself.

https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2022/03/08/deborah-onga