Akbar: Eliminate Violence Against Women

Every day should be treated as a day to eliminate vio­lence against women in order to uphold women and chil­dren’s rights in order for gender equality to be meaningful.

Minister for Health and Medical Services Rosy Akbar, while offici­ating at the Oceania Water Group Limited sponsored secondary and primary school oratory contest in Lautoka yesterday, said this compe­tition was a great medium to raise awareness regarding gender issues and including children in this ad­vocacy so that their mindset was guided towards the right direction from a very early age.

Oceania Water Group general manager Fiji Abdul Kadar, while confirming their support for next year, said the company would be­gin supporting three primary and three high school students by way of sponsorship for their school ex­penses next year.

Meanwhile, Mrs Akbar paid trib­ute to Soroptimist International Lautoka which has made a tre­mendous contribution in reaching out and helping underprivileged persons in Fiji by organising the event.

Up until 2017, the oratory contest was for primary schools but was now open to secondary schools under three categories – Rural Primary, Urban Primary and High Schools.

Shabrina Aziz of Lovu Sangam School won the Rural Primary School category, Ulamila McGoon of Lautoka Ahmadiya Primary School took the urban primary school category, while Neha An­jili Prasad of Vishnu Deo College scooped the secondary school cat­egory.

The event was focused on includ­ing male students in their advocacy programmes. This year, out of the 38 participating orators, 10 were male orators.

“The platform provided, also en­hances the public speaking skills and development of our future leaders,” Ms Akbar said.

“Through these celebrations we can encourage our nation to re­commit ourselves to upholding women’s rights to safety, justice, and equal access to economic op­portunities.

“It is also a time to rally for more recognition of the role of women in society, and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by or­dinary women who have played an extraordinary role in their com­munities and in our nation as a whole.”

The minister said Fijian women and girls, who make up 50 per cent of the population, contributed sig­nificantly to the progress at the home front, within the communi­ties and at both the national and international levels.

“Women’s health is very impor­tant as they are the ones looking after their families and with the es­calating levels of Non-Communica­ble Diseases, we need to be vigilant and look after our health because without good health we will not be able to fulfill our roles to the best of our abilities,” Ms Akbar said.

Edited by Naisa Koroi

Feedback: charles.chambers@fijisun.com.fj