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Fiji Council of Social Services Executive Director, Vani Catanasiga, says there is a lack of empathy and compassion in response to the increasing incidents of both direct and structural violence, leading to fatalities.

According to Catanasiga, the culture of silence has been in Fiji for a long time, and we need to collaborate to get rid of it.

The Executive Director emphasizes how urgently leaders and decision-makers must act to stop the worrying trend.

Catanasia is urging people to step up and speak out against societal behaviour, which is slowly becoming a norm.

“If that is what it means to be able to get the public outcry that’s needed to eradicate this kind of behaviour, then that’s really what I’m encouraging people to do when we have the tendency to hit out at people who are different from us.”

Fiji Council of Churches General Secretary Simione Tugi echoed similar sentiments, stressing the need to break the culture of silence surrounding acts of violence.

“We need to have a change in mindset, come away from the culture of silence, which is everybody’s business, and we need to help one another.”

FCOSS and the Fiji Council of Churches have issued a call to action that emphasizes how critical it is to address this problem in order to build a more secure and welcoming society for all Fijians.