Significant increase in calls made to the domestic violence national helpline

There has been a significant increase in calls made to the 24 hour toll free domestic violence national helpline, with 54% of calls received from February till April this year related to domestic violence and 30% were related to COVID-19.

Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Mereseini Vuniwaqa revealed this while speaking at the Pacific Women Leaders meeting responding to impact of COVID-19 on women and girls in the region.

Vuniwaqa adds that they recorded a total of 87 calls in February and 187 calls in March.

Vuniwaqa says in April, they received 527 genuine calls where 66% of the callers were women and 44% were men.

Vuniwaqa highlighted that 63% of health workers and 85% of market vendors in Fiji are women, placing them at an increased risk and exposure to infection.

Mereseini Vuniwaqa at her desk

She says women in Fiji are also over represented in the sectors and jobs which are hardest hit by COVID-19 like manufacturing, agriculture, hospitality and tourism, health and in the most vulnerable types of employment with the least protection, such as workers in the informal sector, including the self-employed, domestic workers, daily wage workers and contributing family workers.

She adds that since the outbreak of COVID-19, reports of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence has increased across the world.

The Minister says that the COVID-19 has impacted most of the lives, however, these impacts are not the same for everyone.

The Department for Women under Ministry for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation has been working closely since the start of the outbreak with relevant stakeholders in advocating and coordinating responses that meet the immediate needs of all women and girls, ensuring to reach those left furthest behind.

A COVID-19 Response Gender Working Group has also been formed to undertake a rapid gender analysis on the impact of COVID-19.

The Working Group is led by the Ministry and includes representatives of civil society and women’s rights organisations as well as UN Women and the Asian Development Bank.

The 24 hour toll free domestic violence national helpline number is 1560.