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The drug crisis across the Pacific is dominating our headlines.   Countries like Fiji and Tonga have become gateways for moving drugs between Asia or the Americas to Australia and New Zealand.   Some of these drugs end up on the streets in the Pacific, and for women and girls there's a secondary impact beyond that of addiction.  Some are experiencing gender-based violence and family breakdown or ending up involved in sex work.  Sistas Let’s Talk speaks to experts in Fiji and Tonga where the crisis has hit hard, about the impacts and supports available to women.  Kalesi Volatabu, recovered drug user and founder of Drug Free World – Fiji  Mele Prescott, Salvation Army Addiction Services, Tonga 

It’s hard to think of anything more exciting but also nerve wracking than being pregnant for the first time.   Each stage is a new experience and a lesson in letting go of plans and control, and just trying to go along with what life delivers.  Every woman is different and so is every pregnancy.  This week on Sistas Let’s Talk, Natasha Meten explores first time pregnancy with a woman who’s experiencing it and a midwife who helps women through it.  Grace Naleba, first time mother in Fiji Betsy Hamao, midwife with the  Kiopan Hanahan Health Centre Antenatal clinic in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville Listen on ABC Radio Australia 

Fiji has the world's fastest growing rate of HIV transmission and it's not only high-risk groups being impacted.   Babies are being born with HIV through a process now called vertical transmission - where they get it during pregnancy or birth or breastfeeding.  However, vertical transmission is very avoidable.   The key is getting tested early and getting that lifesaving treatment, but to do that, first women need to overcome stigma and misinformation.  This week on Sistas Let’s Talk Natasha Meten speaks to three women about the issue including a HIV positive mother who managed to avoid passing the disease on to her child.   “Sarah” anonymous Fijian mother who is HIV Positive Renata Ram, UN AIDS Pacific HIV Advisor Kaylene Kalmos, the National HIV and STI Officer for the National HIV program in Vanuatu Listen on ABC Radio Australia 

Gender-based violence is happening throughout the Pacific but one thing that seems to be changing is how people react when they see it.  While some people still stand by, afraid to get involved, others are speaking up and saying the violence is unacceptable.  So how can you be a positive bystander without risking your own safety?  Sistas Let’s Talk speaks to three women about stepping in and defending victims of abuse.  Debbie Kaore, GBV survivor Shamima Ali, CEO of the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre Susi Feltch-Malohifo'ou, Executive Director & Co-Founder, of Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources (PIC2AR) Listen on ABC Radio Australia 

Gender‑based violence remains a major issue across the Pacific, and while crisis support services exist, long‑term trauma care for survivors varies widely.  So what happens after the immediate danger has passed? What does effective, culturally informed trauma support look like in places where health services are stretched? And how should care change to meet the needs of survivors from different backgrounds and communities?  This week on Sistas Let’s Talk, host Natasha Meten speaks with two women offering powerful insights into GBV survivor care:  Debbie Kaore, gender‑based violence survivor Associate Professor Yvonne Crichton-Hill, social work researcher at the University of Canterbury Listen now on ABC Radio Australia. 

What does it mean to have a best friend?   For Vaimo'oi'a Ripley and Julia Meredith it has meant having someone to laugh with, make mischief with and someone to turn to in the absolute best and worst moments of life.   The pair have been best friends since primary school in Samoa and while they no longer live in the same city, they always know how to pick up where they left off.   This week on Sistas Let’s Talk, Natasha Meten speaks to “Mo’o” and “Jules” about their powerful friendship.   Listen to the full episode on ABC Radio Australia.   

While there’s no shortage of Pacific women in sport, the arts and business to look up to, what about women in science?  Globally, women make up less than a third of the STEM workforce, and Pacific women are even more underrepresented. Yet many are leading groundbreaking research that’s improving the health and wellbeing of their communities.  In this episode of Sistas Let’s Talk, Natasha Meten speaks with three inspiring Pacific scientists who are creating real change:  Professor Tu’uhevaha Kaitu’u-Lino from the University of Melbourne PhD candidate Liana Sabetian from the University of Auckland Samoan scientist Amy Maslen Miller Together, they share their journeys, their research and how science is strengthening the future of Pacific communities.  Listen to the full episode on ABC Radio Australia.  

Music and singing weave through everyday life across the Pacific, shaping our stories, celebrations and connections. For many, it’s more than just an expression; it's a source of joy.   But what is it about lifting our voice in song that makes us feel so good?   On Sistas Let’s Talk, Natasha Meten sits down with Papua New Guinean-Australian opera singer Heru Pinkasova and choir director and ethnomusicologist Rita Seumanutafa-Palala to explore the deep pleasures of singing: how it binds communities, lifts spirits and continues to evolve across generations.  Listen to this episode on ABC Radio Australia. 

People in the Pacific are raising the alarm about elder abuse in the region.  Worldwide one in six people over 60 have been abused, according to startling statistics from the World Health organisation.  In Fiji last year, around 2000 cases of abuse were reported to the police, including physical, emotional and financial abuse.  On Sistas Let’s Talk Natasha Meten spoke to three women trying to combat the scourge of elder abuse in their community.   Sashi Kirin, the Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection in Fiji; Jullian Lava, who leads the women’s ministry at her local Seventh-day Adventist Church in Papua New Guinea; and Dr Juliet Boon from Auckland University of Technology, who conducted a study into elder about among New Zealand’s Pacific diaspora.   Listen to this episode on ABC Radio Australia. 

When the average woman stretches her income across food, bills, and family responsibilities, is there anything left to save for the future?  Across the Pacific region, organisations are proving the answer can be “yes”. With the right tools and a little financial literacy, women are learning how to grow their savings, build confidence and take control of their financial independence.  On Sistas Let's Talk, Natasha Meten explores how three groups are helping women shift their mindset about money and create stronger financial futures.   She speaks with Rebekah Maeniuta from the West ‘Are’Are Rokotanikeni Association in Solomon Islands, Adi Tafuna’i from Women in Business Development in Samoa, and Laumanu Mafi Tonga from the Pacific Islands Investment Forum’s Women in Super Network.  Listen to this episode on ABC Radio Australia. 

You've probably heard of post-natal depression, but it’s just one of several mental illnesses that can affect women during or after pregnancy.  Depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and even psychosis can affect women at what should be one of the happiest times of their life.  And in the Pacific, stigma and a lack of services can stop women from getting the help they need.  On Sistas Let’s Talk, Natasha Meten speaks to three women about maternal mental illness: Ru Sevedredre, who experienced post-natal depression; Mercedes Swann, the founder of online maternal mental health support group Mama Talanoa; and Reshmi Singh, from the counselling service Empower Pacific.  Listen to this episode from ABC Radio Australia.  

Getting vaccinated is a simple step that prevents illnesses like measles, polio-virus and even cervical cancer. But in parts of the Pacific, not everyone is able or willing to access vaccines.  Whether it's combating hesitation or limited access, health authorities are working hard to vaccinate as many people in the Pacific for as many preventable diseases as possible.  What can women do to support the cause?  In Sistas Let’s Talk, ABC Radio Australia's Natasha Meten talks about the life-saving importance of vaccines with Tonga’s chief medical officer for public health Dr Ofa Tukia, Madang town clinic’s nurse in charge Judy Alingou and Sister Litiana Volavola, the national program manager for immunisation in Fiji. 

Community and family are two of the most universal values in the Pacific, so it's almost impossible to imagine that anyone could feel lonely.   However, people can be surrounded by family and still feel a sense of loneliness, and with so many people moving overseas or to the city for work, not everyone has family around anymore.   So what should you do if you feel lonely, and if it goes on for too long, how serious can it become?  Natasha Meten speaks to psychologist Anastasia Tuilagi, Reshmi Singh from Empower Pacific Counselling & Social Services and Reverend Sonja Hunter from All Saints Anglican Church. 

Somewhere in the world, a girl is married every three seconds. The rates vary in the Pacific, however in Papua New Guinea 27 per cent of women aged 20 to 24 were married before they turned 18. And in some countries, like Solomon Islands, the legal age of marriage is 15 with parental or judicial consent.   The organisation Girls Not Brides works around the world to put an end to child marriages. It says child marriage can disrupt a girl's education, lead to birth trauma and is often associated with gender-based violence.  Sistas Let's Talk host Natasha Meten speaks with three women who have witnessed firsthand the impacts of child marriage in their communities. They include Jascinta Eket, a maternal health nurse who has spent more than three decades working in the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea; Joyce Koupere from World Vision Papua New Guinea; and Ellen Kahui, who is part of Save the Children’s Make it 18 campaign, lobbying for the legal age of marriage in the Solomon Islands to be raised to 18 for all girls. 

The rate of women who die during childbirth is alarmingly high in parts of the Pacific.   According to World Population Review, the rate of maternal mortality in Papua New Guinea is 192 deaths in every 100,000 live births.   That’s compared with a country like Australia, which is just three in every 100,000 births.  The reasons for these deaths vary from geographic barriers and lack of medical services to cultural barriers.   However, measures are being taken to address this limitation and help save the lives of women in the Pacific.  Sistas Let’s Talk host Natasha Meten speaks to Marshall Islands health secretary Francyne Wase-Jacklick, Stevie Merino-Mesa from the Birthworkers of Colour Collective and midwife Cherolyn Polomon who started a Whatsapp group for hundreds of Papua New Guinea’s health workers to collaborate about maternal health.