Statistics show that women and girls are attacked 10 times more than men online because they are viewed as someone who should be domestic helpers or just stay home and not step up and take on leadership roles.
This was highlighted by Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Lynda Tabuya at the 2024 Fiji Women’s Mock Parliament opening today.
Tabuya says this is all part of patriarchal norms where women are viewed differently from men which is totally wrong.
She says one of the major attacks that women face is cyberbullying which is also faced by men and children, but women face it more according to statistics gathered.
The Minister says there is a need for more women from this Mock Parliament to step up and come into parliament and she hopes that it does not take 8 years like it did for her.
Tabuya says there are a lot of barriers for women to enter politics and this includes financial issues, social media and online attacks, and family issues to name a few.
She says women need to know that they need to have the courage, passion and most importantly, the confidence to step up when the call comes.
The Fiji Women’s Mock Parliament started today and will be going on for the next three days.
