81% of RFMF personnel witnessed or experienced harassment, gender report reveals

The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) has no internal whistleblower policy despite widespread reports of harassment within its ranks, according to a new gender assessment.

The 2026 Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peace Operations (MOWIP) report, conducted by Ethos CRS and the DCAF Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance, found that 81 per cent of RFMF personnel, including 89 per cent of women, had witnessed or experienced some form of harassment.

The report found unwanted sexual jokes were reported by 72 per cent of women and 46 per cent of men, while unwanted text messages from colleagues were reported by 60 per cent of women and 32 per cent of men.

More than half of respondents said they would fear retaliation if they reported misconduct to their superiors, even in serious cases.

Among women surveyed, 65 per cent said they would fear retaliation for reporting a male colleague's sexual relationship with an underage girl.

The report also found that 45 per cent of personnel mistakenly believed the RFMF already had a whistleblower policy.

It noted that RFMF Chief of Staff Brigadier General Sapenafa Motufaga had publicly reaffirmed the force's zero-tolerance policy on domestic violence and sexual misconduct in January 2025, while acknowledging that fear of victimisation by superiors could discourage personnel from reporting.

Despite those concerns, the report found strong support for accountability, with between 93 and 94 per cent of personnel saying they would report colleagues for serious offences such as drink-driving incidents causing harm.

Researchers recommended establishing an independent complaints office staffed by civilians and reporting to the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, alongside a formal whistleblower policy to protect the identity of those reporting misconduct.