'Speak out, seek help and families must step in to stop deadly violence'

Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran has called on victims of intimate partner violence to speak out and seek help early, and urged families, neighbours, and faith leaders to intervene before it is too late.

Her plea comes after a woman was found dead in Nakasi, Nasinu, in what is believed to be the fifth intimate partner violence-related death this year. The victim, a Fiji Corrections Service employee, lived with her partner, who is also an officer. 

Police retrieved the body on Friday wearing protective gear, suggesting she may have been dead for more than 24 hours. The prime suspect is believed to have turned himself in after seeking treatment at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital.

“It has been very tragic year, if you see the number of people we've lost to intimate partner violence… we can only plead with those who are suffering any violence, emotional, mental, physical violence, to please, seek help in very short period of time,” Ms Kiran said.

She warned that domestic violence is too often treated as a “private matter,” but must be recognised as a crime.

“If two men fight and one dies, or two men fight, it's very easy for people to have them cherished, but if a man is a challenge there, then people hesitate, and they say, it's a family violence. But if you harm physically anyone, it is crime, and that must be reported,” she said.

Ms Kiran stressed the role of families and community leaders in supporting victims.

“Family members know when one of your own is going through a difficult time in an intimate relationship. I call on the family members to please recharge, please support or try and get help. I know when somebody thinks, when they're in love, they always think they pray and they hope that there'll be change, but with the amount of deaths we've seen this year, that's not necessarily the case,” she said.

She added that greater investment was needed in counselling, marriage support, and community systems to protect women and children, and employers must ensure care is available for staff under extreme stress.

“The partner that is supposed to support and protect and love you are the ones killing. That's not the Fiji you want to live in. So hopefully we can change this scenario around. But for that, we need every individual's help, neighbors, families, family members, we all need you to rise to make sure that no other life is lost in future,” Ms Kiran concluded.