‘We can no longer pretend things are improving’ – FWCC

The stories are becoming harder to ignore — women beaten in their homes, girls raped by men they trust, and survivors silenced by systems meant to protect them. These painful realities were laid bare yesterday as the nation marked the start of the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence in Suva.

The annual campaign, now in its 34th year, comes at a time when Fiji continues to record some of the highest rates of violence in the world. For many, this year’s launch carries new urgency.

Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre (FWCC) Coordinator Shamima Ali said the nation can no longer pretend that things are improving.

“The one clear message that we are all giving is this: enough. No more violence, no more excuses, no more impunity,” Ms Ali said.

November 25 marks the sombre, yet profoundly hopeful, beginning of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

Talei Roko

She warned that intimate partner violence in Fiji remains double the global average, and cases coming to the FWCC show escalating brutality.

Hidden crimes such as rape remain severely underreported, especially when perpetrators are family members.

“Of all the rape cases reported to us, 96 per cent of the perpetrators are known to the survivor. 76 per cent are relatives including fathers, grandfathers, and uncles. This is the reality in Fiji today,” she stressed.

Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2000, the global 16 Days of Activism runs from November 25 to December 10. For 2025, the global theme is “UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls.”

Ms Ali accused society — including faith leaders, communities, and the Police — of making excuses for perpetrators.

She cited a recent case where a woman who reported abuse was instead arrested and detained for more than 48 hours, while the alleged perpetrator continued working.

“This is what impunity looks like. We are sick and tired of it,” she said.

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, in his national statement for the 16 Days, acknowledged the severity of the crisis, calling the violence a “national tragedy and a moral wound” on Fiji.

He reaffirmed Government’s commitment to implementing the Fiji National Action Plan to Prevent Violence Against All Women and Girls — the first in the Pacific and only the second worldwide.

“Let me state this clearly: This is not a private matter. It is a national crisis that diminishes all of us,” Mr Rabuka said.

The Prime Minister highlighted Government reforms across the Police, military, health, education, and provincial councils, including strengthening the “No Drop policy” and ending the use of bulubulu as a way to settle criminal offences.

“Violence in Fiji cannot continue. The silence must end. The excuses must stop.”