(The Spotlight Initiative) — Kosrae State Law No. 12-286 was re-passed in the Legislature, 22nd Special Session, 2022, by four-fifths of the members of the Twelfth Kosrae State legislature on April 5, 2022.
The law allows for paid maternity leave of up to 90 days to be applied to all female state government employees, regardless of employment status or contractual arrangements.
The law, addressing public sector employees, paves the way to the adoption of similar measures for private sector employees too, and hopes to lead similar conversations in other FSM states.
“This law is the fruit of the partnership and dialogue with grassroots organizations such as Utwe Women’s Organization,” said Sen. Andy J. Andrew, who formally introduced the measure. “They are playing a crucial role in voicing the needs and rights of women and children, and in reminding us legislators of our duties in developing laws that promote and secure the right to health for all”, he concluded.
Sen. Yamado Melander, chairman, R&D Committee 12th Kosrae State Legislature said: “Utwe Women’s Organization advocated for women’s rights to paid leave because no one else was doing it on their behalf, and they were the ones paying the consequences of such negligence. While the bottom-up approach is advancing the rights of women, it is society as a whole who is reaping the benefits of the advancement of human rights.”
Krystle Melander, project manager for Utwe Women’s Organization, the booster that allowed this amendment to take off, added, “What we are protecting and promoting with this law is the right of women and children to physical and mental health. Unpaid maternity leave meant no safety net for new mothers. Many working mothers felt worried when transitioning from childbirth to the workplace with no care and recovery time, adding financial pressure to an already sensitive time.”
“In the old days, during pregnancy women were supported by the community and exempted from working, creating the time and space for the new mother and the newborn to adjust and recover”, said Shelyane Lohn, North Pacific PPAC Officer, Pacific Community. “With this law and paid maternity leave, we are formally recognizing the collective responsibility of taking care of mothers and children,” she said.
The government of the Federated States of Micronesia has prioritized six indicators to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls (Sustainable Development Goal 5). The hope with this law in Kosrae is that it will have a spillover effect in neighboring states so that all women and newborns are equally protected and can have access to a secure time of rest, leaving no one behind.
About the Spotlight Initiative
Violence against women and girls or VAWG is a major obstacle to the fulfilment of women’s and girls’ human rights and development and a threat to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. To address the challenges of VAWG, the European Union and the United Nations embarked on a global multi-year program: the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative. Backed by a financial investment of 500 million euros (about $495 million), the Initiative operates in five regions (Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Pacific).
The Spotlight Initiative aims to support transformative change on the ground to end violence against women and girls and harmful practices, in numerous countries globally. The Spotlight Initiative in the Pacific region is implemented through U.N. agencies and a range of development partners including civil society organizations and governments, with a focus on eliminating VAWG, including intimate partner violence and domestic violence.
Kosraean baby girl.
