The newly published survey shows violence against women and children is rampant across Tonga.
A recent statement released by the Women and Children Crisis Centre (WCCC) highlighted evidence from Tonga’s 2024 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) that 86.1 % of children aged 1-14 years suffered physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by household members in the previous month. In the past year, 33.68 % of women aged 15-49 reported physical, sexual or psychological violence by an intimate partner.
The data also reveal entrenched harmful attitudes; 23.6 % of women and 14.5 % of men believe a husband is justified in beating his wife under certain circumstances, while 38.1 % of respondents overall agree “it is justifiable to beat a woman in some situations”.
“These are not just statistics – they are reflections of daily pain and fear endured by our women and children,” said WCCC Monitoring & Evaluation Advocate Soana Pongi.
WCCC Director ʻOfa Likiliki warned the findings demand urgent action. “We must break the silence and dismantle the belief that violence is acceptable,” she said. “Our children are growing up learning that love can come with fear, and that is unacceptable.”
Despite nearly 98 % of children under five being registered at birth, the survey shows that 71 % of women who experienced violence did not seek help or tell anyone.
The survey shows the persistent normalisation of family-based violence in Tonga and signals the need for bold leadership across government, churches, schools and communities to shift the narrative towards prevention and protection.
