The All China Women’s Federation (ACWF) of China has commended the Fijian Government’s commitment to improving the lives of women in the country.
The delegation was in the country to look at major projects carried out by the Ministry of Women especially those that target women in rural and remote communities in the country.
This week, the 5 member delegation accompanied Minister for Women Dr Jiko Luveni to Korobebe and Nagado village in Nadi on Wednesday. The delegation witnessed the official launching of the Zero Tolerance Violence Free Community Campaign in these two communities.
While addressing the communities, Madam Zhao Donghua, the vice-president for ACWF commended the Ministry for reaching out to the women in rural villages.
“We are very glad to have this opportunity to learn from Ministry of Women’s major projects that we could like replicate in China. China is the largest developing country in the world and has a population of 1.3 billion and women account for half of the total population which is about 650 million and children’s population is about 280 million.
“The ACWF is considered the largest women’s organisation not only in China and our purpose is to carry out all the activities and programs to promote happy and healthy life for women and children not only in China but around the globe. And with the support of our government gender equality has become a national policy of China,” Madam Zhao said.
She said the delegation is moved by the Fijian government’s effort to reach out and provide assistance to the most rural and remote communities in Fiji.
“From our very short stay here we have seen that the Fijian government has placed a great priority in improving the lives of women and children. We have even seen that Minister Luveni is truly committed to her work and ACWF is motivated by the Ministry’s program to empower women into social, economic and political areas. I am amazed to see the uniqueness of the Zero Tolerance Violence Free Community Campaign and it’s encouraging to see that this campaign gets men to champion women’s right to live violence free lives,” Madam Zhao said.
In her welcoming address, Minister Dr Jiko Luveni said it is a privilege for Fiji to share information about women’s empowerment programs with the ACWF.
“This would further strengthen the collaboration between Fiji-China to benefit the women of both the countries. The delegation’s visit will enable them to see how the Ministry reaches out and engages with women at rural level”, Dr Luveni said.
“Through the Zero Tolerance Violence Free Community Campaign, the Ministry works with the relevant stakeholders like Police to train the village gatekeepers and the entire community to access awareness programs on safeguarding the rights and interests of women. The information and training acquired through this campaign enables the women to make informed decision and improve her life. To date the Ministry has more than 60 communities on this campaign,” Dr Luveni said.
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