Shania Shayal Prasad 
[ Source: femLINKpacific / Facebook ]
Fiji still faces major gaps in turning gender equality commitments into real change for women.
The UN says that while Fiji has made some progress, there are serious issues still holding women back especially in politics, safety, and funding for support services.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for the Pacific states that the recent CEDAW session, which reviewed Fiji, Tuvalu and Solomon Islands is only the beginning.
Pacific Representative Heike Alefsen said the Committee’s concluding observations would be released in July, and these will guide future work.
“And also, of course, it is important to address the discrimination of women in the labor market and access to education and sexual reproductive health and rights. These are some of the key issues here in the Pacific.”
Alefsen notes there are still big challenges, including high levels of gender-based violence, low numbers of women in decision-making roles and limited national budgets for programs supporting women and girls.
“There is a lot of work to be done to provide encouragement, to provide support, to provide technical assistance, and we have the opportunities and the means to do so together with our colleagues from the crop agencies.”
CEDAW Chair Nahla Haidar also outlined the role of civil society, saying real progress depends on grassroots action and education.
She believes that closing the gap between written promises and real outcomes requires stronger advocacy and reforms to challenge harmful stereotypes and cultural norms.
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