The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre condemns the terrible acts of violence on women’s bodies by men and especially those who are supposed to cherish and protect them.
This has been highlighted by the FWCC Coordinator Shamima Ali as she says this is also a terrible and sad indictment of a society that continues to condone and in fact, encourage violence through its misogynistic attitude and behaviour towards women and girls.
Ali urges men to understand that you do not have any right to inflict violence on women and girls as part of your entitlement in a patriarchal society.
She also encourages men to respect women and girls as equal human beings.
She calls on the society to stop blaming women and girls for the violence perpetrated on them as it is never the fault of the victims.
She is calling on all of society and service providers including the Police, the justice and health systems to ensure women and their concerns are treated seriously and gender-sensitive appropriate measures are in place for better access to justice. She urges women who are undergoing domestic violence to seek help by calling Lifeline Fiji on 1543, Empower Pacific on 5626 or the Domestic Violence Helpline on 1560 for appropriate referrals.
