Shania Shayal Prasad 
The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre has raised alarms over a troubling increase in violence against women and girls particularly in rural and maritime areas where many cases remain hidden.
This silence stems from limited access to resources, cultural and religious pressures, and geographic isolation, creating significant barriers for survivors seeking help.
FWCC Coordinator Shamima Ali states that rural women face immense challenges, often living far from urban centers where support systems are more accessible.
FWCC Coordinator Shamima Ali
She adds despite a rise in reported cases in urban areas, women in remote communities are often left unsupported, trapped by societal expectations not to report abuse.
“The last prevalence study in 2011 that was released in 2013, showed that the Eastern Division had the highest incidence, prevalence rate in the Eastern Division. And that is where our islands are, they’re more rural and further away from services.”
Ali says many women are isolated, living far from urban centers, where cultural and religious pressures make it even harder to seek help.
“So the pressure not to report is they keep the family together and so on. And then where will they go to, the police, and what will the police do. Unless, we find that unless a woman is half dead, she’s been hurt very badly, nobody takes notice of that.”
FWCC is intensifying its outreach particularly in remote islands with a renewed focus on empowering women to report abuse.
Their efforts aim to dismantle systemic barriers and ensure every survivor has a voice, regardless of location.
