A Cook Islands MP says a new bill currently before parliament will provide more protection to the survivors of sexual assaults.
Selina Napa says the Family Law Bill will also aim to replace some of the outdated clauses in the 1969 Crimes Act, and provide clear definitions of sexual offences.
Ms Napa told the Cook Islands News she also hopes to see harsher penalties introduces for those convicted of sexual assaults.
She says the Cook Islands has some of the world's worst statistics for abuse, with one-in-three women experiencing some kind of physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime.
