Centre brings out the best of Goundar ‘FWCC has totally changed my view of what a young woman can be’
LAVONNE Goundar’s experiences as a counsellor at the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre over the past seven years is influencing the way she is raising her daughter.
“It has educated me on the gendered social norms that we have and also influenced the way I bring up my daughter, teaching her good and bad touches at a very tender age — especially after seeing all the child abuse cases coming in,” the 31-yearold said.
“Being here has taught me how important it is for our little ones to know good and bad touches from a very early age — knowing that most perpetrators are known to the child abuse and rape survivors.”
Ms Goundar walked through the doors of the centre in 2016 and today is the assistant counsellor supervisor.
“I can tell you that I am not the same person I was 10 years ago. We grow up with ideas that women have to achieve certain things, the gendered social norms.
“The centre taught me to be assertive, how to have a voice, and has basically made me a better version of myself.
“Over the years I have become more confident and along the way I have gained a lot of respect for what the centre has done and continues to do — fighting against all forms of violence against women, girls and children.
“In fact, I can confidently say that the FWCC has totally changed my view of what a young woman can be.”
Ms Goundar was studying education and psychology at the University of the South Pacific when she decided to ask for work at the FWCC in 2016.
It was a decision that literally changed her life. “I was looking for a counselling position, went to the Ministry of Education and they told me they weren’t hiring counsellors because teachers were doing counselling.
“I saw the FWCC building and entered the door, how the receptionist greeted me.
“She was so welcoming, she told me that not only counselling was provided but she gave me other options of what I could do with the field I was in, it was very warm and uplifting at the same time.
“And being accepted into FWCC was a huge blessing — that I was able to secure a job even before graduating.
“I initially wanted to volunteer and learn the FWCC’s way of counselling, the survivor-centred approach and the feminist approach.
“And the knowledge that I have gained here in the last seven years is priceless.”
Over the years I have become more confident and along the way I have gained a lot of respect for what the centre has done and continues to do — fighting against all forms of violence against women, girls and children – Lavonne Goundar