Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation

Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation







Hon. Mereseini Vuniwaqa
Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation


The Ministry of Women is the primary advisor to Government on women and gender issues. The National Women’s Plan of Action (1999 – 2008) has been the guiding principle for the work undertaken by the ministry in addressing women’s needs, interests and aspirations economically, socially, legally and politically.

The Ministy of Women’s policies are encompassed in the Women’s Plan of Action which covers five major areas of concern including:
  • Mainstreaming Women’s and Gender Concerns
  • Women and the Law
  • Micro Enterprise Development
  • Balancing Gender in Decision making
  • Violence Against Women and Children

International Commitment on Women Issues:

The Fiji Government has made commitments to seven major international agreements and programs of action on gender equality and the advancement of women and has identified key issues to address by being party to the following:
  • The Pacific Platform of Action
  • Convention on the Rights of a Child
  • Jakarta Declaration of the Advancement of Women in Asia and the Pacific
  • Beijing Platform for Action
  • Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
  • The Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality 2005-2015
  • The Revised Pacific Platform of Action after the third Pacific Women’s Minister’s meeting and the 9th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women

The Department continue to observe:
  • International Women’s Day
  • International Rural Women’s Day
  • 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence

16 Days of Activism (2008):

The 2008 campaign of the 16 Days of Activism was launched to coincide with the declaring of the Koroipita Community as a “Violence Free Community”. The launch was officiated by the Permanent Secretary of Health Women Social Welfare and Poverty Monitoring, Dr Lepani Waqatakirewa on Tuesday 25th November 2008.

The Ministry of Health, Women, Social Welfare and Poverty Monitoring, in it’s effort to promote sound stable environment that is free from violence against women and children; and realizing the cost involved in taking care of victims and survivors of such violence had undertaken a multi-sectoral approach to pursue the elimination of violence against women and children and assist in the realization of a society that is free from such violence.

Subsequently, the ministry sought and was granted Cabinet’s endorsement to pilot a Violence Fee and Zero Tolerance Community. After wide consultations and researching on probable communities, Koroipita was identified to be the pilot violence free community.


Departments
  • Women
  • Social Welfare
  • Poverty Eradication Unit
Permanent Secretary: Dr Josefa Koroivueta

Office Location:
5th Floor, Civic Towers, Suva

Postal Address:
PO Box 14068, Suva, Fiji.

Phone: (679) 3312681
Fax: (679) 3312357

Social Welfare Postal Address:
PO Box 2127, Government Buildings, Suva, Fiji.

Phone: (679) 3315754
Fax: (679) 3305110