It is clearly not true what Shamima Ali has said about human rights training - Qiliho

Police Commissioner, Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho says it is clearly not true what Shamima Ali has said about human rights training, as far as the Fiji Police is concerned.

While speaking at a round table discussion on feminist struggles hosted by the French Ambassador, Fiji Women's Crisis Centre Coordinator and Human Rights Activist Shamima Ali had said that one of the fears about organisations like the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre is that people do not want them to teach human rights.

Ali says they are not allowed into the Police Academy where they previously had regular programs.

However Qiliho stresses that the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre has had human rights sessions with the Fiji Police Force through training sessions organized by the UNDP and UNOHCHR office for Fiji Police Force including sessions conducted by the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission.

The Commission says the Fiji Police Force has every right to engage any institution it deems as fit to conduct human rights training and a single NGO does not have a monopoly over the human rights agenda.

We have not received any requests from FWCC in the last 2 years for speaking to students about human rights – Jokhan

Permanent Secretary for Education Doctor Anjeela Jokhan says the Ministry has not received any requests from the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre in the last two years that she has been with the Ministry.

This comes after FWCC Coordinator and Human Rights Activist Shamima Ali made comments at a round table discussion hosted by the French Ambassador last week that in the past, she was invited to talk to students on gender, violence against women and human rights during school functions, however that has not happened in recent years.

She says she has made appointments with the Education Department to visit schools but that never came to fruition.

In her response to Ali’s claims, Jokhan says they are a Ministry and not a department and they attend to every request that comes in.

Jokhan adds, if Ali puts in a request they will consider it as they do for others.

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People don’t want us to teach human rights - Ali

We’ve made appointments with the Education Ministry which never came to fruition

By Antonio Rahiman

09/07/2022

Fiji Women's Crisis Centre Coordinator and Human Rights Activist Shamima Ali

One of the fears about organisations like the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre is that people do not want us to teach human rights.

This was the message from Fiji Women's Crisis Centre Coordinator and Human Rights Activist Shamima Ali while speaking at a round table discussion on feminist struggles hosted by the French Ambassador.

Ali says in the past, she was invited to talk to students on gender, violence against women and human rights during school functions, however that hasn't happened in recent years.

She says she has made appointments with the Education Ministry to visit schools but that never came to fruition.

Ali says apart from the education system, they are also not allowed into the Police Academy where they previously had regular programs.

We are in the process to get comments from the Education Ministry and Police.

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