“What are we doing about violence, rape and sexual offences that are happening in our communities?”
Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Mereseini Vuniwaqa today asked this bold question while speaking at the ground breaking ceremony of the Sanctuary, shelter for women and girls who are victims of domestic violence.
The Sanctuary will be built next to the Golden Age Home in Natabua, Lautoka.
Vuniwaqa says in the past one and half years, statistics on rape and sexual offences in Fiji tells us that more than 50 percent of victims were children.
She says it is time to step up and call it out.
Vuniwaqa says police and courts need to play their roles, workplaces need to support victims and sanction perpetrators, village elders have to denounce the behavior and call in Police when the offences take place.
She says all systems need to be well oiled and singing the same tune to provide the best service for the women and children who are victims of violence.
Vuniwaqa says published evidence from the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre shows that 64% of Fijian women experience physical and sexual intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
The Fiji Women’s Rights Movement research shows that there is an upward trend in the number of women who are victims of domestic violence in all the divisions in Fiji from 2012 to 2016.
The same research shows that women and girls are the main victims of sexual offences which are rape, attempted rape, sexual abuse of a child under 17 years of age and indecent assault.
Vuniwaqa also thanked Kanti Lal Punja and members of the Golden Age Home Trust for facilitating a request from the Ministry to be able to let go of a piece of land belonging to the trustees board for the project to start.
Soroptimist International South West Pacific will be funding the project while the administration cost will be coordinated by the Ministry of Women.
The facility is expected to be ready in two years.
