Making places safe for women
IN Fiji, 63 per cent of health workers and 85 per cent of market vendors are women.
This was highlighted by Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, counsellor regional programs – Pacific, Rochelle White while speaking at the two-day Fiji reflection and learning workshop which started at the Grand Pacific Hotel (GPH) yesterday.
Ms White said now, more than ever, safe spaces for women where there was access to trusted support and their physical and emotional safety was respected was essential.
“Working towards the achievement of gender equality is a key priority for the Australian government, a priority we share with Fiji,” Ms White said.
“By working together on this shared challenge, we can make greater progress towards giving women and men, girls and boys, equal opportunities for everything in their lives. This event is important as it goes beyond the exchange of knowledge and practical experiences, to providing invaluable connections between women’s groups, coalitions and other partners,” Ms White said.
“Here in Fiji, we know there has been significant increase in calls to the domestic violence national helpline this year.
“Also this year,
Fiji launched its national action plan to prevent violence against women and girls and is the first country in the Pacific and one of the only two countries globally to have a national action plan to prevent violence against all women and girls.”
She also added the Australian government remained committed to providing long-term support to gender equality initiatives in the Pacific.
Meanwhile, manager of the Fiji Women’s Fund, Michelle Reddy, said 2020 had been a particularly tough year for many of the fund’s grantee partners who had been at the forefront of the dual crisis response and recovery efforts.
She also revealed the fund would also launch the findings of their annual collaborative research paper on good practices used by our grantee partners on the fund’s thematic areas of focus.
“This year the paper: ‘Promising practices in preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls in Fiji’ features the contributions of Rise Beyond the Reef, House of Sarah, Medical Services Pacific and Reproductive Family Health Association of Fiji,” Ms Reddy said.
Partnerships Lead with Pacific Women’s Support Unit, Tara Chetty highlighted that Pacific women stood with the fund, proudly supporting women’s organisations and other partners in Fiji.