Shania Shayal Prasad 
More than 2,000 women, girls and children have already sought help from the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre this year.
Coordinator Shamima Ali says the Centre assists nearly 3,000 survivors each year, with cases continuing to rise and this year expected to follow the same trend.
Ali says the figure highlights the ongoing and increasing impact of domestic violence across the country.
She adds FWCC continues to provide counselling, crisis intervention and emergency support.
“We also do a lot of advocacy, because we’re really having challenges in service providers not responding positively to women and children and girls who are reporting such violence.”
Ali adds long-term solutions are urgently needed to break the cycle of abuse and prevent further harm.
“So you have to, as long as she needs help, the counseling services must be able to help her until then. Because it’s about empowerment. And if she says, okay, I can do this myself, you know, that’s where we take them to. But it’s very sad.”
FWCC Counsellor Supervisor Elina Cagilaba says domestic violence is ongoing and often begins with verbal abuse before escalating.
“It does not necessarily have to be physical all the time, but there can be some kind of action, some kind of form of threats that will instill fear, or there will be an act of manipulation that will make the survivor or the woman or the child scared.”
She adds that government agencies, stakeholders and the wider community must work together to effectively address and prevent violence.
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