53 women have died of domestic violence in the last 10 years.

This has highlighted by the Coordinator of the Fiji Women Crisis Center, Shamima Ali, during the “Thursdays in Black Vigil” held within the FWCC boundaries last night.

Ali says that the numbers are quite shocking for a small country like Fiji, where about six women die from domestic violence every year.

She adds that this year until October, the Suva branch has seen a total of 614 cases of all forms of domestic violence against women, girls, and children, apart from other branches.

“Of that 419 of 614 new cases we have seen this year, about 419 are of domestic violence. 13 of rape, 4 of attempted rape. 4 of sexual assault, 25 of child rape, 17 of child sexual abuse, and 1 of sexual harassment. And other cases we have seen for legal and so on 107, but we have seen 614 and phone counselling 346. 249 of those are domestic violence cases.”

Ali reiterates that domestic violence is much higher than any other form of violence.