More funds needed for fight against gender-based violence-Shamima Ali

The government should dedicate more funding towards human rights movements and the empowerment of women, and it should stop funding the military.

The Coordinator of the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre, Shamima Ali, mentioned this during the CEDAW panel discussion on Gender-Based Violence this afternoon at the University of the South Pacific.

She says the FWCC needs to have funds if they are to address the issues brought on by gender-based violence and development partners should also invest in multi-year funding as done by the Australia and New Zealand governments.

She says if they have annual funding, they will not be grappling at the end of the year for funds or spending around six months writing a proposal for investment.

Ali also says their development partners should work with them to build on what they have already achieved rather than trying to direct them towards another agenda.

The Coordinator also says Fiji is the second country after Australia to implement a National Action Plan for the prevention of all forms of violence against women, which took over five years, and the document has named patriarchy as the cause of violence against women and girls.

She says there is a need to challenge the religious and cultural excuses that glorify patriarchy and stop allowing people to tell us that human rights are a foreign power.

Ali, who is also the founder of the Pacific Women's Network Against Violence Against Women, says their organisation is a feminist women’s rights-based organisation.

She says it does not matter even if they are called a loose network of women because, in reality, they are a group of women who are trying their best to address gender-based violence within the Pacific region.

She says there is no resting when it comes to promoting human rights, and they have to be activists if they want to change the restrictions that patriarchy has imposed.

The Coordinator also urged the need for women to stand in solidarity in order to end gender-based violence, highlighting the technology-based abuse involving Member of Parliament Lynda Tabuya.

She says there is no need for women to like each other, but they should stand together in support of other women to dismantle the shackles of patriarchy.