[Photo: FILE]

Pacific Community Principal Strategic Lead for Pacific Women, Mereseini Rakuita, is calling on media organizations to assign senior, credible journalists to investigate and expose the systemic inequalities preventing women from entering Parliament.

Rakuita says Fiji already has extensive research highlighting the issue, but much of it remains underreported and underutilized in mainstream media coverage.

She stresses the need for experienced reporters to dig into these hidden systems, from electoral processes to institutional barriers, and bring to light the realities faced by women.

Rakuita points to existing reports, including studies on violence against women in politics in Fiji, questioning why more attention has not been given to such findings.

She highlights that two in three Fijian women experience gender-based violence, a statistic she says is directly linked to women’s participation in leadership.

Rakuita says the connection between violence and leadership cannot be ignored, especially when the same women affected are expected to step into national leadership roles.

She also references regional research by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, which outlines sexism, harassment, and violence faced by women in parliaments across the Asia-Pacific.

Rakuita adds that local organizations, including the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement and other non-government groups, have produced substantial reports that clearly outline the barriers, but these need stronger media focus.

She is urging journalists to connect these findings to the ongoing lack of female representation in Parliament, saying the reasons are there.

Rakuita also acknowledges that how stories are reported is often shaped by journalists’ own experiences and perspectives.

She is encouraging greater use of training opportunities to build gender-responsive reporting skills, so journalists can better understand and highlight structural inequalities.

Rakuita warns against assuming that women operate on a level playing field with men, saying this overlooks the deeper challenges embedded within systems and society.

Her “wish list”, she says, is for every media organisation to have a senior reporter dedicated not just to generating headlines, but to thoroughly investigating gender inequality, an issue she describes as deeply entrenched in Fiji.

Rakuita believes such reporting can play a critical role in reshaping national conversations and driving meaningful change.