Cook Islands women parliamentarians are in New Zealand attending a Pacific Women in Power Forum that began this week.

Minister for Health Rose Toki-Brown, Opposition Leader Tina Browne and other women MPs departed on Monday right after the parliament session.

Browne said it is a women’s forum for the Pacific region and is supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and The Government of Japan.

According to the UNDP Pacific office, the focus is on opportunities for improving women’s representation, approaches to improving inclusivity, and the effectiveness of parliaments in tackling gender inequality.

UNDP reports that less than seven percent of parliamentarians are women.

The three-day forum includes women members of parliaments and parliamentary officials discussing challenges women in politics face, including persistent online harassment fuelled by the anonymity of social media; abuse that unfortunately dominates the daily lives of many women MPs worldwide.

The forum ends today.