As we celebrate International Women’s Day today, Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka says the coalition government wants to reaffirm the commitment to advance the progress of women and girls in every facet of our development.
The Prime Minister says the stark reality is that majority of women are marginalised and living below the poverty line and this is a challenge that demands our urgent attention and action.
Rabuka says their collective vision for a secure, peaceful, prosperous and stable Fiji can only be achieved when there is women and girls empowerment.
He says the government initiative will consider the unique needs, knowledge and potential of women and girls while the commitment still very solidly sits today in sustainable government goals five to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls and it is crucial within the policies.
He further says when he led the Fiji delegation in 1995 for the fourth World Conference for Women in Beijing, China they had signed the Beijing Deceleration and Platform for actions as they also signed the Women Rights Treaty to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women.
Rabuka says last year Professor Wadan Narsey conducted a study with the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement which shared light on both the progress women have made and the challenges that must be addressed. The Prime Minister says the report acknowledges that despite the phenomenal increase in the number of educated females over the decade, many women continue to face barriers in fully participating in the labour force to access equal pay and economic opportunities.
Rabuka adds it is unacceptable despite women’s increasing achievements in higher education, they still remain unjustly under-represented in low income occupations and very few have reached managerial level.
The theme for this year is ‘Invest in Women Accelerate Progress’ which resonates deeply with the values and aspirations of the coalition government.
