Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre Coordinator Shamima Ali says more women are confident in reporting their issues, such as rape and sexual assaults, to their Office rather than to the Police as they feel that Police officers don’t listen to women or don’t treat domestic violence cases seriously.
Ali says they are trying to talk to the Police about training as they are the best people in this area and nothing has come back from the Police. She says they have been training Police Officers before, but everything came to a stop after 2006, and this year, they only held one training with the Police.
She adds if proper training is not done, then issues with the Police will continue.
From January to the end of November this year, the FWCC office has seen more than 6,000 people with 60 percent of the reports being domestic violence related, and they have also seen the use of drugs contributing to the high rates of violence against women, girls and children.
She says people are coming to them to report rape, child rape, sexual violence or for legal advice.
Ali says they received 2,000 new cases this year.
