Gender-based abuse must end, says Fiji human rights' boss

Transcript

Women's groups in Fiji are calling for more to be done to combat sexual violence.

They say Fiji's already high rate of gender-based and sexual violence, is being exacerbated in the aftermath of Cyclone Winston.

The newly appointed director of the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission agrees and says the country must put an end to such abuse.

Ashwin Raj told Dominic Godfrey the safety of women and children is paramount and a well co-ordinated strategy is needed.

ASHWIN RAJ: What is required is a strong coordinated strategy between the state, the civil society, the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission and all the other sort of important agencies such as the police, the medical authorities. This is extremely important.

DOMINIC GODFREY: But there's also the tactical need to be able to respond quickly?

AR: Which is why I think that kind of coordination is important. We've tried to convey to the members of the public through the mainstream media, you know, exactly where the commission is and that, you know, we're open and accessible and to call us and lodge complaints and bring things to our attention so that we can investigate very quickly and bring it to the attention of relevant authorities -- to the police, to the medical authorities -- so that an appropriate form of action is taken and to not interfere with the work of the law. 

DG: I guess it is also the role of the Human Rights Commission to convey to those other government agencies just how very important it is to follow up to the rule of the law.

AR: Absolutely. And that was precisely why we issued a statement on International Women's Day to remind everybody in Fiji that, you know, of all people women and children are the most vulnerable, particularly at this time, and they are susceptible to human rights violations and they are even more so vulnerable, at this time, to sexual and physical abuse. You know, this is not an isolated sort of criminal act, but this is a fundamental human rights violation -- the right to personal safety, the right to live a life of dignity, the right to live a life free of violence, and so in that sense I think it's important that people in Fiji begin to see this as a human rights violation. We must put an end to this culture of sexual violence and gender based violence, and to do that we have to work together.    

DG: What legislative changes are needed, if any, to help enhance the plight of women in Fiji? 

AR: I mean it's something that, you know, we want to seriously consider at the commission in terms of sort of like, you know, what hasn't worked so far, and I don't want to make a quick statement about all of those kinds of things. I mean, I want some serious contemplation on what needs to happen because obviously there is that whole thing about what the legal framework says and what actually happens on the ground too in terms of enforcement and compliance and so on and so forth. So I think we need to seriously sit as a nation and talk about how we address this as a collective because it's not an isolated single problem. 

DG: Who needs to lead that discussion? 

AR: You know, I think it needs to be a coordinated strategy between the state and civil society and international community, but we cannot leave ordinary citizens behind. They need to be part of this discussion.

DG: For the cause to be really championed, it needs a champion and, I guess, who do you see as being the champion for this cause? 

AR: That's where I'm troubled because I do not think that it can be the work of an individual and you cannot have like a single sort of hero pushing for this thing. It requires an entire nation to change this culture of sexual violence.