Nabouono Village is the latest beneficiary of the violence free community initiative by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation.
Last week, a team headed by the permanent secretary Dr Josefa Koroivueta traveled for two hours to the village at the Udu point, in Macuata province.
Following the official launching of the Zero Tolerance Violence Free Community Campaign in June last year this village has successfully completed 10 phases of the campaign to qualify for the declaration stage.
This was observed through the unveiling of a billboard erected in the centre of the village .
Dr Koroivueta acknowledged the leaders in Nabouono Village for their partnership with the ministry to implement this campaign to achieve its objectives.
“The ministry is grateful to the male leaders in your community for leading the campaign. Any community that looks after its women and children will be prosperous and it will cultivate greater understanding and good communication between families for holistic development,” the permanent secretary said.
“These are the pillars on which the campaign is created and implemented. The billboard will continue to remind your present and future generation that Nabouono is committed to the vision of a violence free village.”
Thanking the government team for its third visit to Nabouono Village, turaga-ni-mataqali Ilimotama Bulisolevu said the campaign was critical in steering positive changes in the lives of his people.
“Nabouono is made up of 15 households and women play an important role in looking after their families,” Mr Bulisolevu said.
“Violence is one issue that has existed for years, it affected our women and children and we are no longer tight lipped about these things. Through this campaign we have broken the silence and have declared zero tolerance to any ill treatment against women and children.
“As a result of our networking with the Fiji Police, there is a gatekeeping committee which has been formed and it ensures that the principles of this campaign are deep rooted into the lives and hearts of the people in Nabouono.
“In every development, we prioritise women and children, their wellbeing takes precedence above everything else.
“We thank the government for giving us the opportunity to work together to improve the lives of my people. Before we hardly got any government officials visiting us but now feel we are being cared for and no longer have to live in isolation.”
Soqosoqo Vakamarama Nabouono leader Marica Caginitoba said that it was through the awareness programmes that women were now well aware about the laws protecting women and the procedures for reporting cases.
“The women have acquired information on Domestic Violence Decree, the No Drop Policy, Child Welfare Decree and are confident to report cases to the police. We all have learnt that violence be it physical or verbal is a crime and should be reported,” she said.
“After the months of training, we have begun to witness the changes in the behavior of the men, they now help women with their daily chores, like collecting firewood and even cooking. And they are also spending more time with their families, unlike before they left their families alone and went to drink grog.
“The women are also given the opportunity to speak out during the village meetings, which previously used to be male dominated.”
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