Simione Tuvuki 
The culture of silence has hindered the conversation among Fijians on the fight against illicit drugs, says Drug Free World Fiji Founder Kalesi Volatabu.
She says people either avoid to speak up about their experience with the use illicit drugs, or speak out against illegal activities in their communities.
Volatabu says a lot of Fijians have been barred by socio-economic factors, and awareness is necessary to have conversation on the fight against illicit drugs.
“You’re allowing people to speak up, to share their journey, to share their testimony – giving them the courage, the bravery to be able to stand up and say, you know what, okay … I did wrong. This is what happened to me, but it does not define me.”
Volatabu adds cultural and traditional knowledge can also be utilized to address illicit drugs, rather than the norm suppressing or oppressing Fijians.
“Contextualizing it to our community, to our, you know, being culturally sensitive to us.Yes. So a majority of the time, all these laws are Western laws. We need to look at what we have here in Fiji. We need to embrace what we have and work within what we have.”
Volatabu also advocates for restorative justice which emphasizes the importance of rehabilitation with the creation of solution for people involved and affected by illicit drugs.
