983 cases of domestic violence and 91 rape cases as of October, most victims below age of 15 - Fiji Women's Crisis Centre

As of October this year, the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre has recorded 983 cases of domestic violence and 91 rape cases out of which most of the victims were below the age of fifteen.

16% of women in the country have had their first forced experience of a sexual encounter before the age of fifteen.

Nine women and two children have lost their lives because of domestic violence this year.

64% of women in intimate partnerships have suffered physical and sexual violence, emotional violence, coercive control, and rape.

These sobering statistics were revealed by the Crisis Centre Coordinator, Shamima Ali during the march to mark the beginning of 16 Days of Activism Against Violence Against Women.

Ali says no woman is exempt and any woman either from the LGBTQ community, women and girls with a disability or any woman is a potential survivor.

Ali also says that victim-blaming continues but it is now getting less.

She adds everything else but the actual cause is being blamed for the violence that women and girls are going through.

Ali adds that this sense of entitlement from men deny women their fundamental rights every single day.

Ali has also emphasized that any strategy, prevention program, every response to stop violence against women must be based on women's experience of violence and accessing services.

She is urging people to stop being bystanders and intervene and hold the nation accountable to women.

Over a thousand women, girls, men, and boys marched to demand accountability and to end all forms of Violence Against Women and Girls in Suva, Taveuni, Vanua Levu, Ba, Rakiraki and Nadi.

Meanwhile, DIVA For Equality Freedom Bus is going around Viti Levu to raise awareness of violence against women and girls and will conclude their journey tomorrow.

Violence & abuse against women are among the world’s most horrific human rights violations, affecting 1 in every 3 women in the world.

We must take a firm stand against sexual violence.

We must show greater solidarity with survivors, advocates & women’s rights defenders. pic.twitter.com/t4oB52oQZ2

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) November 25, 2019