FWRM Executive Director, Nalini Singh

The Fiji Women’s Rights Movement has studied the trends of sentences handed out to those convicted of rape.

FWRM Executive Director, Nalini Singh says they’ve found that the highest sentence delivered last year was a life sentence.

Singh says on average, sentences given out in sexual offences and rape convictions start from 9 years 11 months and average final sentences were at 11 years 10 months.

She adds the team also analyzed and compared trends from 2016, 2017 and 2018 and one of the findings was the average age of accused.

“The average age of accused in 2018 was around 39 years old. The average age of the perpetrators in 2016 was around 38 and in 2017 it was around 37.”

Singh says the youngest accused was 11-years-old whereas the oldest was 85-years-old.