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Fijians urged to formally report suspected violations

June 3, 2020 6:35 am

The Human Rights Commission is urging Fijians to come forward with their concerns on suspected human rights violations.

The Human Rights Commission is urging Fijians to come forward with their concerns on suspected human rights violations.

Commission Director, Ashwin Raj says given the suspension of some rights since the COVID-19 restrictions came into place in March, they have seen a surge in various violations.

“What we need to do is we need to keep pushing on this compliance issue and therefore we need to encourage members of the public to come forward and lodge complaints about these things. You cannot be tacit. If you’ve been wronged by law enforcement agencies, if you’ve been brutalized or terrorized and all of that, you can’t be quiet because of fear of reprisal and recrimination.”

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Meanwhile the Commission Director is also urging Fijians to file formal complaints as opposed to highlighting allegations on social media.

Raj says there is no recourse for address if complaints and or allegations of assault is posted on social media instead of filing proper records with the relevant authorities.