15% of women attacked while being pregnant – Tabuya

15% of women state they are attacked while pregnant, and while pregnant they are being punched or kicked in the abdomen, and the proportion of women who are being beaten during pregnancy is significantly higher among younger women.

Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Lynda Tabuya says in fact it is something that parliament should pursue and support to declare a national crisis.

Tabuya says the trends of domestic violence in this country is a national shame as we are higher than the global average which is 1 out of 3 women.

She also says it has really reached that stage and it has been a number of years that governments have tried to tackle this issue including the previous government, and of course it is something that has fallen on the government now.

The Minister adds it is really worrying that of the 2 out of 3 women that face some sort of intimate partner violence, the forms of violence that are prevalent are hitting, kicking, dragging, choking, burning, or being threatened with a weapon.

She adds 6 out of 10 women are subjected to emotional violence over their lifetime while the most common form of sexual intimate partner violence is marital rape.

There are things that the Ministry is doing which includes launching the National Action Plan To Prevent Violence Against All Women and Girls, and this makes Fiji the first island country and only 1 of 2 globally.

In response to Fiji First MP, Ketan Lal’s question, Tabuya says the Ministry is working with service providers in the community to bring domestic violence shelter guidelines to be approved, so that service providers can provide shelter to women facing domestic violence, as well as children who are part of families that face violence.

Tabuya also says the shelter guidelines are needed as there are homes which have opened up, but yet to come under the Ministry officially so that they are able to monitor the services provided.