Violence against women and girls is a social cancer - Bhatnagar

Violence against women and girls is a social cancer that many people witness and experience throughout their life cycle, sometimes as victims and sometimes as aggressors.

This was highlighted by Assistant Minister for Women and Children Veena Bhatnagar at the official opening of the Island Pacific Apparel/Hai's Autoport [Canada] Ltd 4th Futsal Carnival.

The Futsal carnival is hosted by the Fiji Muslim League in Nadi and the theme is ‘No Family Violence’.

The Assistant Minister stressed that violence against women and girls is amongst the most universal human rights violations, affecting at least a billion women across the globe.

She says some men begin to control and discipline their wives and daughters by inflicting violence on them because that is what they had seen while growing up.

She adds that as children who once were witnesses of domestic violence begin to perpetrate and endure violence themselves, the cycle continues as a new generation of children become a part of this chain.

Bhatnagar stated that funds collected from the Futsal Carnival since 2014 is donated to the Nadi Muslim College to help out with expenses occurred by the College's Under 15, 17 and 19 sports teams.

She adds that it also caters for 30 students’ school uniforms, bags, exercise books and in extreme cases, lunch as well.