Training on gender, human rights, eliminating violence against women and girls, child rape and child abuse, held by the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre with the Koro Island Crime Prevention Committee since 2017, is reaping benefits with members of the committee now actively stepping up and reporting cases in their villages to the Police.
FWCC Senior Counsellor and Community Educator Lavenia Tuitabu had a follow-up meeting with the Koro Island Crime Prevention Committee at Kade Village, where she was briefed on domestic violence cases the committee members witnessed, received, and reported to the Police.
Tuitabu says the last follow-up meeting with the committee was held in Nabuna Village in July 2020.
She adds that although there hasn't been a follow-up meeting for two years, the Koro Island Crime Prevention Committee has been steadfast in being firm and consistent community advocates to end all forms of violence against women, girls and children.
She says during their discussions with the Police, they heard that Koro Island is in the red zone and that 52 cases of different crimes have been reported on the island.
The Community Educator says they know that within those 52 cases, there are cases of domestic violence, defilement, and child pregnancy because some of those cases have been directly reported to FWCC in Suva, and they are dealing with it.
Tuitabu adds this indicates that the committee and villagers have been reporting cases and are slowly dismantling the culture of silence when these cases occur.
During the focus group discussion, the Koro Island Crime Prevention Committee members highlighted that they had reported domestic violence cases in their villages, with some dealing with their very close relatives.
Some committee members are prosecution witnesses in cases where they witnessed the incidents first-hand and immediately reported them.
Committee members also reported cases of defilement and child pregnancy.
The FWCC team visited the villages of Nasau, Kade, Nabasovi and Nacamaki during their week-long visit to Koro.
They had discussions with villagers who had expressed strong interest in going through the training.
Ilaisa Toroca from Navaga Village, a former police officer and lay preacher, says this training is essential for families.
He says all his children are married, and he looks after his grandchildren, and he knows that how he treats and raises his children will be totally different from his grandchildren.
He adds he has made it a priority for there to be time for the family members to talk about what is happening in their lives.
Toroca says for Koro and Fiji to prosper, all families must undergo this training.
The former police officer says he makes it a focus now to help at home with the household work by washing the dishes, doing the laundry and bringing the firewood inside.
This program is supported by the Australian Government through its Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
