Praneeta Prakash 
[File Photo]
Minister for Women, Children, and Social Protection, Lynda Tabuya has highlighted the urgent need to address technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
She highlighted this during a panel session titled “Digital Gender Divide: Prevention, Regulation, Empowerment” held alongside the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+30 Review.
Tabuya says while technology plays an important role it also opens up new avenues for abuse and exploitation, particularly when it comes to gender-based violence.
She says Fiji is experiencing a rapid rise in digital connectivity adding that at the start of this year, 541.4 thousand users aged 18 and above were active on social media, representing 86.7 percent of the adult population.
She says additionally, there were 1.19 million active cellular mobile connections, equivalent to 126.2 percent of the total population.
Tabuya says while this widespread connectivity presents incredible opportunities, it also exposes significant vulnerabilities, particularly in addressing the darker side of technology.
She says while comprehensive data on technology-facilitated gender-based violence remains limited, further reports from the Online Safety Commission highlight social media platforms, particularly Facebook, as the most reported platform for abuse.
She says 22 percent of women are frequently subjected to image-based abuse and 30 percent are targeted by defamatory comments.
The Minister says the panel session served as a platform for experts and policymakers to discuss strategies for preventing and regulating technology-facilitated gender-based violence, as well as empowering individuals to navigate the digital landscape safely and securely.
