Religion Has the Power to Influence Against Violence, Injustice: Vuniwaqa
Religion has the power to influence followers against domestic violence and gender injustice given that 84 per cent of the world’s population affiliate themselves with a religion. Speaking to a three-day workshop yesterday aimed at addressing violence against women and girls, Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Mereseini Vuniwaqa said such violence was perpetuated by deeply rooted gender-based discrimination, social norms, cultural attitudes and gender stereotypes.
Ms Vuniwaqa said faith-based organisations were powerful players in spreading the message and leading a national conversation to influence the public discourse on the root causes and contributing factors of violence against women and girls in Fiji.
Based on data from the National Domestic Violence helpline 1560 a total of 87 calls were recorded in February, 187 calls in March and 527 in April.
Sixty-six per cent of the callers were women and 34 per cent were men. In addition, 54 per cent of the calls were domestic violence related and 30 per cent were related to COVID-19.
Ms Vuniwaqa said close to 50 per cent of women reported a correlation between COVID-19 and an increase of violence, linked directly to the restrictions of movement and economic strains on families. “The numerous tragedies of Fijian women losing their lives at the hands of men who promised to love and protect them, reminds us time and again that we must keep working together to change our culture and attitudes that are embedded in men and boys’ power and control over women, gender inequality, gender discrimination and patriarchy.”
“I emphasise that violence against women, girls and children is preventable, not inevitable – and we all shall and can play our part.” Ms Vuniwaqa said growing up, inequality was evident in the special treatment of males in traditional households when compared to females and the dismissal of the negative behaviour of boys towards girls as child’s play. “Gender equality starts from small things like how we bring up our children, what we teach our boys and girls,” Ms Vuniwaqa said.
“We need to move away from teaching young boys that behaviour of pulling girls bras, writing girls names on the toilet walls, poking girls with rulers is child’s play.”
Referring to a report by the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre, she said 72 per cent of women experience one or more types of violence in their lifetime from their husbands or intimate partner.