Kreetika Kumar 
Minister for Women, Children, and Social Protection, Lynda Tabuya.
Minister for Women, Children, and Social Protection, Lynda Tabuya, says she is saddened and deeply hurt by the unfortunate case of a Fijian woman allegedly murdered following a domestic altercation in Santa Rosa, California.
Tabuya says this is a realization that the reality of Gender-Based and intimate partner violence is in fact much more terrifying than what we know through reports from various sources.
Tabuya says we grieve the tragic loss of another Fijian sister, whom we lost in a place where she should have been the safest, her own home.
She adds that, as the Minister for Women, Children, and Social Protection, she strongly condemns the grave violation of human rights that has sadly become so deeply rooted in our system.
The Minister says that Fiji ranks among the highest in the world, where 2 out of 3 women face some form of intimate partner violence.
Tabuya says when cases like this happen, it is not just a loss for one family; it is a loss for us as a nation because we know how bad the situation is in our Fijian society and we also know what the root causes are, yet we choose to turn a blind eye.
She says it is a matter of grave shame that these roots of patriarchy continue to deepen even across the seas.
She adds that indeed, gender-based violence is a global threat, but when a Fijian perpetrates it, it poses a huge question for us as a people, no matter where in the world we are.
Tabuya says this has got to stop, as no woman deserves to die like this and no family deserves to go through this kind of loss.
She has called on churches and religious leaders, the chiefs and traditional leaders, fathers, brothers, and sons to fight against gender-based violence within their homes and communities.
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