Veinuqa village in the Tailevu Province was this week listed as a violence-free community by the Ministry of Women.
The process of change began last year when this community joined hands with Ministry of Women and Fiji Police to undergo 12 months of awareness programs as part of Zero Tolerance Violence Free Community Campaign.
In an official event earlier this week signifying this development, the Minister for Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation Dr Jiko Luveni unveiled a billboard in front of the village depicting its new status.
Minister Luveni’s first visited the village last year where she presented a certificate of commitment to the gatekeepers committee that marked the beginning of the violence free campaign.
The village’s Soqosoqo Vakamarama president Mrs Sainimili Nitawaqa said that awareness has helped them to address the issues concerning teenagers.
“Before the campaign was introduced, there were cases of young girls getting pregnant and this was of great concern to the parents. Few of the teenage girls also eloped from home and in 2012 there were 6 teenage girls who got pregnant. And when we heard about the violence free program, we found new hope of addressing our problems.”
“Through training sessions parents were acquainted with ways to effectively communicate with teenagers on issues of sex and marriage. Parents no longer shy away from these topics, they are now able to communicate openly with their children,” Mrs Nitawaqa explained.
“We realised that by hiding these issues, we were only making it worse. But now we tell our children that there is right time for everything and help them set their priorities right particularly with their education,” Mrs Nitawaqa said.
The Ministry now plans to build a women’s centre in Veinuqa village to generate income for the women and provide a platform for continued awareness programs to uplift the lives of women and children.
So far more than 60 communities across the country have joined the violence free campaign.
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