Men must stand up and be counted to stop cycle of violence

The Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Mereseini Vuniwaqa made a statement recently about the scourge of violence. “Violence against women and girls is life threatening not only because of the lives that are at risk as we speak, but because it is going to continue in a cycle if it doesn’t stop now,” she said.

“Violence against women is a social problem that many people witness and experience throughout their life cycle; sometimes as victims and sometimes as aggressors.”

To stop violence against women and girls, Fiji needs men to stand up, speak out and act. Women’s organisations in Fiji should engage men to highlight the role they can play alongside women to stop violence against women, based on the understanding that most men are not violent.

While stopping violence against women and girls is possible, the engagement of men will help drive transformative changes in power dynamics to end the violence.

Speaking at the Pacific Regional Dialogue on Engaging Men in the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls in Korolevu, Minister for Health and Medical Services Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete said: “This regional dialogue creates a critical forum to work towards the development of effective strategies to engage men to and truly work together to prevent gender-based violence, including domestic violence, in our homes, villages and nation.”

The forum provides an opportunity to participants to exchange information and share ideas about existing programs and efforts to prevent violence against women and girls that focus on engaging men and boys, while building on their own Pacific Principles developed and agreed in 2016.

Statistics from the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre note that 64 per cent of Fijian women experience intimate partner violence, with 295 cases of domestic violence in the first six months of 2019 – equivalent to 295 cases in 180 days. Almost all perpetrators of domestic violence are men.

Dr Waqainabete is correct when he says that men need to take responsibility and change attitudes and behaviours, and become more engaged in ending violence against women and girls.

He called on participants to share experiences and evidence to create more impactful approaches to ending violence against women and girls.

A United Nations report said – “Violence against women and girls are a grave violation of human rights. Its impact ranges from immediate to long-term multiple physical, sexual and mental consequences for women and girls, including death. It negatively affects women’s general wellbeing and prevents women from fully participating in society. “Violence not only has negative consequences for women but also their families, the community and the country at large. It has tremendous costs, from greater health care and legal expenses and losses in productivity, impacting national budgets and overall development.”

With we must thank Government for the new Domestic Violence Decree. It is the legislation to address this form of abuse, which previously under the Penal Code did not adequately protect the victims.

Men should be aware of this legislation and should protect the women.