The Cook Islands has removed a law that criminalizes homosexuality, in a huge victory for the local LGBTI+ community.  Our local Member Association, the Cook Islands Family Welfare Association (CIFWA), has been integral to the advocacy around this law reform, which has faced many hurdles since the movement kicked off in 2017. Staff and volunteers at CIFWA have worked in step with Pride Cook Islands and the Te Tiare Association (TTA), two of the biggest LGBTI+ advocacy organizations in the country, to end discrimination and promote human rights. Meet some of the inspiring people behind this historic movement.

On the island of Rarotonga, the main island of the Cook Islands in the South Pacific, a little white van makes its rounds on the palm-tree lined circular road. The van, run by the Cook Islands Family Welfare Association (CIFWA), stops off at condom distribution points along the way, refilling the condom stock.  Dean Tangata, a 26-year-old humanitarian focal point for CIFWA and a registered nurse, is behind the wheel.  "Our condom dispensers get emptied so quickly!” said Dean. “We refill them twice a week.”   On Rarotonga, the locals refer to a system called ‘coconut wireless’ - a local phrase meaning to communicate quickly by word-of-mouth. This means that discretion is key to encourage people to practise safe sex and use condoms.  According to the Cook Islands Ministry of Health 2014, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are common in the Cook Islands. A study conducted in 2006 showed a 22% prevalence rate of chlamydia; 46% of these cases were in people between the ages of 15 and 29 years. After a robust intervention campaign, a repeat survey in 2012 showed a 50% decrease in prevalence. This is why CIFWA instigated a condom dispenser system, placing handmade dispensers (that an industrious staff member made from cutting holes in piping) inside bathrooms in restaurants around the island. “We’re the ‘sex people’ - the ‘sex workers’ who roll up in our condom car,” says Dean, smiling.