One in 6 women were sexually abused as a child before the age of 15 – Kiran

Alarming statistics have been revealed by the Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran, as one in six women who were reportedly sexually abused as children were abused before the age of 15, and violence against older women has doubled over the last two years as Fiji Police have received at least 2 cases of violence against women aged over 60 years each week last year.

While speaking at the lighting of the UN House which marks the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism Campaign Against Violence Against Women and Children, Kiran says the statistics are deeply alarming, and in an overwhelming 95 percent of these child abuse cases, the perpetrator was a trusted male family member or family friend.

She says child sexual abuse remains the most pervasive and alarming crime against children in Fiji.

The Minister says analysis of the five-year trend from 2020 to 2021 shows that 70 percent of sexual violence victims were girls.

She further adds that the risk of abuse is even higher for women and girls with disability.

Speaking on the lighting of the UN House, Kiran says this illuminates our collective commitment to justice, protection, and dignity for all survivors, here in Fiji and across the world.

She says this year’s national theme, “Support the Survivor, Report the Abuse, and End Impunity Online and Offline,” reminds us that violence evolves.

Kiran says today, harm is no longer confined to physical spaces.

She adds it now crosses digital borders, amplified by technology, anonymity, speed, and reach.

The Minister says around the world and here at home, women and girls face cyberbullying, non-consensual image sharing, digital stalking, hate speech, financial scams, and sexual exploitation through manipulated and fake online content.

She adds that these attacks silence women’s voices, erode confidence, and punish leadership.

UN Women Representative for Fiji Multi-Country Office Alison Davidian says this lighting is not decorative, ceremonial, or even neutral as it carries the weight of women and girls whose safety has been violated, whose voices have been silenced, and whose lives have been reshaped by violence.

She says it also represents a collective refusal to accept that violence is inevitable, and a shared commitment to ensuring the safety, dignity, and freedom of everyone; women, girls, men, and boys.

Davidian says these are not just privileges, but these are rights for all.

She adds that for more than 30 years, the 16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women has mobilised governments, communities, civil society, and development partners around a truth that is both simple and revolutionary, that violence is preventable.

She says we know that prevention is becoming more and more complex because violence is becoming more and more complex.

Davidian says violence is not just static, it is shifting and finding new spaces in which to cause harm.

She says it is not just physical anymore, it is also in the digital space.

She is calling for a whole-of-society approach that recognises that prevention requires coordinated effort across government, civil society, development partners, faith organisations and traditional leaders.