Fiji

Fiji is committed to the elimination of sexual violence and to working both domestically and with the international community to do so. At the national level, Fiji's Ministry of Women has revived the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Elimination of Violence against Women to coordinate policy responses across all Government agencies. It is working with the Fiji police force to implement the law introduced in the last few years that, among other things, introduced marital rape as a specific offence under the criminal code, and also introduced a child-welfare code requiring teachers, doctors and other professionals to report suspected child-abuse cases. The Ministry also champions a campaign on zero tolerance of violence against women and children, which operates at the community level in partnership with community leaders, the police force and non-governmental organizations.

Eliminating sexual violence is crucial, because only in the absence of sexual and other forms of violence will the empowerment of women be possible so as to achieve gender equality. Women in our communities are change-makers and core to the functioning of our communities. They are first responders in moments of crisis, including in responding to natural disasters and in adapting the approach of communities to new challenges such as those posed by climate change. Our societies are only as strong as the weakest among us. If we are to address emerging security and developmental challenges, we have to ensure that those most at risk of marginalization, including at-risk women and children, are freed from the risk of violence and fully empowered to contribute.