Opposition MP Premila Kumar [left] and Minister for Women, Sashi Kiran

Minister for Women, Sashi Kiran, has responded to claims by Opposition MP Premila Kumar, who linked the rising cost of living to the increase in domestic violence cases.

Kumar believes that addressing rising cost of living is key to reducing domestic violence.

Kumar’s comments comes after two people lost their lives, and a woman was severely injured following three domestic violence cases over the weekend.

Kiran while responding to Kumar states the issue of domestic violence goes beyond economic challenges and is deeply rooted in trauma and unresolved issues within families.

“There are many causes. One cause is the trauma that many families have gone through themselves and they haven’t learned how to deal with it. We do need to provide support for women but we also need to think about the men who have been through trauma in their past lives and they haven’t dealt with it and they dish it out to their families. So there needs to be some support and programs around there.”

Kumar said while there are many causes, one major factor is the daily struggle for survival faced by families.

“It’s about family survival, it’s about making sure that you have a roof over your head, it’s also about putting food on the table, sending your children to school, there are costs associated with it. So when all these things don’t happen then there is often disputes”

She adds that when families are unable to meet basic needs, disputes arise and many partners turn to alcohol, drugs and other substances, which worsen the situation.

Meanwhile, in the first case over the weekend, a suspected murder-suicide took place at the Lagilagi Housing complex in Raiwaqa.

The second case happened in Nadi, where a woman in her 20s was found with stab wounds inside her home on Kerebula Road.

In the third incident, a woman was discovered outside an apartment complex in Suva with visible injuries, allegedly inflicted by her partner.

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