Fiji is preparing to release new national data on intimate partner violence, with early findings already revealing critical insights into the experiences and realities faced by women and girls across the country.

The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre has confirmed the completion of fieldwork for Fiji’s second national prevalence study on intimate partner violence, conducted in partnership with the Fiji Bureau of Statistics and Australia-based Equality Institute Australia.

The study explores the prevalence, incidence, and public attitudes toward intimate partner violence and is expected to provide updated national data more than a decade after Fiji’s landmark 2011 research on women’s health and life experiences.

FWCC Coordinator Shamima Ali says the research uses a World Health Organization-approved methodology recognized internationally as best practice for studying violence against women.

Ali says the methodology has been widely used across the Pacific, including in Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and Kiribati, because it prioritizes the safety, confidentiality, and well-being of women participating in the study.

She says the research was initially planned for 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted timelines and delayed major national field operations.

“The preliminary findings are already providing important insights into changing trends, experiences, and realities facing women and girls in Fiji. Reliable national data remains critical to understanding the scale, patterns, and changing nature of violence against women in Fiji and to strengthening prevention and response efforts across communities and institutions.”

She stresses that reliable national data remains essential for understanding the scale and changing nature of violence, while also strengthening prevention efforts, survivor-centered services, and institutional responses.

Ali also highlighted that similar studies conducted across the Pacific continue to show alarmingly high rates of violence against women, reinforcing that gender-based violence remains a major regional and global concern.

The final report, including national findings and recommendations, is expected to be officially launched before the end of the year.