Cases of violence against women being received on a daily basis and COVID-19 has made matters worse - Ali

Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre Coordinator, Shamima Ali says they continue to receive cases of violence against women on a daily basis and the COVID-19 crisis has made matters worse.

Ali says as we mark the start of the 16 days of Activism Campaign on violence against women, we must remember that four women have lost their lives to domestic violence in Fiji so far this year.

She says from January to October this year, FWCC and its branches have received 751 domestic violence cases, 67 rape cases, 9 attempted rape cases, 42 child sexual abuse cases, 39 child physical/verbal/emotional abuse cases and 12 sexual harassment cases.

Ali says while most of the domestic violence cases go unreported, in Fiji almost 2 in 3 women in an intimate relationship have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime.

She says women and girls are raped and sexually abused on a daily basis and the 16 Days of Activism Campaign is important as this is when we intensify our demands on ending all forms of violence against women, girls and children and advocate for better policy, legislation and services.

Ali says while they have made some progress and put violence against women on everyone’s agenda in Fiji through their 36 years of work, we still require more investment, leadership and action.

The campaign commences today - the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women - and ends on 10th December, International Human Rights Day.

Ali says this year they also focus on International Labour Organisation Convention C190, focused on ending violence and sexual harassment in the workplace, and specifically against women informal workers whose lives have been severely impacted by COVID-19.

The 16 Days of Activism on violence against women was conceived in 1991 during the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute at Rutgers University, New Jersey in the United States. Shamima Ali was one of 23 women leaders from around the world who attended the institute and founded the campaign at Rutgers that year.