15 Oct 2002

Fiji women call for controversial Minister for Women to go

7:09 pm on 15 October 2002

The Fiji Women's Crisis Centre is calling for a better representative in Parliament than the current minister for women, Adi Asenaca Caucau.

This follows the Minister's controversial comment that the death of a baby at the weekend after being punched by her drunk father was because the couple was living in sin.

The Minister also recently compared Indo-Fijians with weeds which occupy space and said that poverty was increasing in Fiji because of "satanic forces"

A spokesperson for the crisis centre, Edwina Kotoisuva, has told Radio Fiji that the country needs someone who is in touch with the needs of the women of the country and their problems.

"What we need is a woman who actually uderstands the reality of womens lives and also is representative of all women in the country of different races , of different backgrounds and does not approach the womens issues, or womens agenda, specifically from her own perspectives but takes into account, diversity which exists in this country."