Pulafagu Toafa (born c. 1960) is a women's rights activist in Tuvalu. For over a decade, she has led the Tuvalu National Council for Women, the country's umbrella women's rights organization.

Pulafagu Toafa
Pulafagu Toafa holds a microphone
Pulafagu Toafa in 2013
Alma materUniversity of the South Pacific
OccupationCoordinator of the Tuvalu National Council for Women
SpouseMaatia Toafa

Biography

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Pulafagu Toafa was born around 1960 in Tuvalu.[1] She earned a bachelor's in history, political science, and sociology from the University of the South Pacific in Fiji.[1]

Toafa worked for Radio Tuvalu, later serving on the board of its parent organization, the Tuvalu Media Corporation.[1][2][3] She also ran an internet cafe and worked as a researcher for the country's Department of Women's Affairs.[1]

For more than a decade, she has served as the coordinator of the Tuvalu National Council for Women, the umbrella organization for women's rights groups in the country.[4] In this role, she has advocated for women's empowerment in Tuvalu's political processes, including the Falekaupule, and raised other issues that affect women and girls, particularly surrounding climate change.[1][5][6] She also runs an anti-domestic violence program.[4]

In 2015, Toafa served as a delegate from Tuvalu to the Paris climate talks.[7][8]

She is married to Maatia Toafa, a former prime minister of Tuvalu.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Marie, Lan (2011-03-08). "Fighting for the women". Klima Tuvalu. Archived from the original on 2011-03-15.
  2. ^ a b Papoutsaki, Evangelia (2008). South Pacific Islands Communication: Regional Perspectives, Local Issues. AMIC. ISBN 978-981-4136-08-2.
  3. ^ "Tonga: Regional workshop on media ethics". BBC Monitoring Media. 2005-11-17.
  4. ^ a b Kitamura, Miho (2017-12-20). "Progressing Women's Empowerment in Tuvalu". Borgen. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  5. ^ "Tuvalu government under attack at international women's conference". RNZ. 2011-11-17. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  6. ^ Eyob, Ziona; Church, Clare; Dumaru, Patrina. "How Technology and Community Insights Are Driving Adaptation Planning in the Pacific". NAP Global Network. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  7. ^ "'I don't want to leave my home': Tinaai". SBS News. 2015-12-05. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  8. ^ "Climate and laws trap islanders". Eco-Business. 2015-12-03. Retrieved 2023-11-17.