Most rural villages in Vanuatu - where 75% of the population resides - have regular community meetings to discuss issues of importance to all members. The rules of "kastom" dictate how meetings are called and conducted, including who is allowed to speak and who controls the agenda. Today, more and more people are not attending meetings as they once did. This indicates a loss of respect for traditional leaders that call the meetings, and a loss of relevance of community meetings to the lives of individuals and families. Communities with good attendance to meetings tend to have more cooperation, higher levels of safety, and a greater sense of equality among members than those where they don't hold regular meetings or where attendance to meetings is low.
