Teretia Tokam

Teretia Tokam graduated with a bachelor of laws from the University of the South Pacific.^[1] She then worked as a lawyer at the attorney general's office in Tarawa.^[1][2] While working on domestic violence cases as an attorney, she saw the need for more proactive efforts to combat gender-based violence.^[1][2]

Since then, Tokam has led efforts to end violence against women and children in Kiribati.^[2] This has included working to develop the Te Rau N Te Mwenga (Family Peace) Act of 2014^[1][2] and pushing for better responses to gender-based violence from front-line service providers.^[2] She also was involved in the creation of the country's first Ministry of Women and served as the national coordinator on ending sexual and gender-based violence at the Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs.^[1][2] With two others, she co-founded the Kiribati Women Activist Network.^[2]

In 2015, Tokam won a scholarship to the Australian National University, where over the course of two years she obtained a master's in applied anthropology and participatory development.^[3]

Since 2017, she has served as the founding leader of the Tarawa-based Kiribati Women and Children Support Centre, a community-based organization supporting those facing domestic violence.^{[2][4][5][6][7]} While there, she helped open a second branch of the center on Kiritimati in 2021.^[2]

In 2022, Tokam was appointed to the Pacific Women Lead Governance Board.^[8]