Human Rights Watch dog, Amnesty International believes that the Pacific countries will only fully achieve the development goals discussed at the Forum Leaders meeting if they address violence against women.

The Pacific Researcher for Amnesty International, Apolosi Bose told a media briefing this morning in Cairns Australia, that the goals of the Pacific Plan or the Millennium Development goals cannot be achieved without ending violence against women.

He said governments need to take proactive measures to protect women's rights by preventing, prohibiting and prosecuting violence against women.

He said progress has been made over the last 10 years as nearly all the countries have now ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of violence against women.

However, Bose said most of the Pacific Island countries do not even have stand alone legislation combating gender based violence and although Fiji, Kiribas, PNG, Vanuatu and Solomons Island have passed or amended the laws, it still does not go far enough.