[Source: UNAIDS]

We will uphold the law, support gender-based violence survivors, and work tirelessly to prevent it from happening in the first place.

This is the pledge that Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Lynda Tabuya made to 60 women of Nakorovou village in Rewa yesterday at the completion of a one-week training organized by the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre.

While highlighting the recent tragic death of a wife and mother in Narewa, Nadi last week, Tabuya says we can no longer allow Fijian women and girls to live in fear, constantly subjected to the horrors of violence, whether it is behind closed doors, online, or in public settings.

“This tragedy goes beyond individual acts of aggression. It exposes a deep-rooted problem within our society – gender inequality, where men exercise power and control over women.”

Tabuya says the Ministry is striving towards combating the issue by launching the Fiji National Action Plan to Prevent Violence against all Women and Girls (2023-2028) in June this year.

She adds this comprehensive, whole-of-government, evidence-based plan aims to stop gender-based violence before it starts.