Minister for Women and Social Welfare, Dr Jiko Luveni today urged participants at a symposium to explore new and better ways to curb domestic violence and to provide support to victims.
“ I encourage all of you to make maximum use of this Symposium and explore new and better strategies and methodologies to support the victims and managing the perpetrators and consider ways to prevent domestic violence through effective education and early intervention strategies,” he said.
Present at the Symposium on Elimination of Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence at Studio Six in Suva were representatives from the Fiji Police Force, Non-Governmental Organisations, religious bodies, Fiji Prisons and Correctional Services, judiciary and many others.
The symposium was organized by the Fiji Police Force in partnership with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation with the theme ‘Integrating Responses to Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence: Stop the Madness’.
“We should seek to educate and create awareness on the existing strategies and capabilities to better deal with sexual offences and domestic violence.
“This should be an opportunity to learn ways of integrating responses and resources towards effectively preventing these offences.
“We are aware that children and women are mostly the victims of these offences.
“The mental and physical effects of these offenses always leaves a stigma on the victim and the society as well,” she added.
Dr Luveni highlighted that most of these offenses are not reported and the perpetrators are out in the public. She also raises the question whether these offenders are prosecuted.
“ We need to look at data collected about crime to enable us to arrive at a rate of successful offender prosecutions. For sexual assault victims, many investigations are often inconclusive,” she said.
The Symposium was an ideal opportunity for Fiji Police Force, Ministry of Social Welfare and Women along with other law enforcement practitioners; probation services, health and other relevant stakeholders to examine the progress to date and consider how multi-agency frameworks can be implemented successfully in all areas to make a difference.
She also reminded participants that Government has recently unveiled the Domestic Violence and Crimes Decree aimed at effectively tackling these offences.