Services for Survivors of Gender-based Violence Set to Further Improve

[Press Release]

Suva, Fiji — Women and children in Fiji confronted by violence will soon have improved access to timely and relevant services with the drafting of a new interagency National Service Delivery Protocol for Responding to Cases of Gender Based Violence.The planned improvements are being led by the Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW) Taskforce, the Fiji Government’s formal body to address issues of violence faced by women and children, in collaboration with health, police, counselling and advocacy, shelter, legal aid and other frontline service providers helping survivors in need.

(from left) Anareta Apole, Ministry of Women Children and Poverty Alleviation, Acting Senior Women's Interest Officer EVAW, holds the draft Service Delivery Protocol alongside Abigail Erikson, UN Women Fiji MCO Ending Violence Against Women Programme Specialist. Photo: UN Women/Taina Williams

These partners are among the 40 participants attending this week’s UN Women sponsored workshop at The Warwick in Fiji, from 15-17 May, to validate and agree on the contents of the draft Fiji National Service Delivery Protocol for Responding to Cases of Gender Based Violence - Standard Operating Procedures for Interagency Response Among Social Services, Police, Health and Legal/Justice Provider.

The two-day workshop was officially opened by the Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Hon Veena Bhatnagar, who highlighted the “extensive level of consultation that has occurred over past months at both divisional level and now at the national level with this validation workshop.”

“The success of these protocols will depend on how well we consult during this drafting phase, and ensure service providers unite in a meaningful way to help determine the pathway to best help victims,” said the Hon Veena Bhatnagar.

“There are many services available for survivors of gender-based violence in Fiji and they need to have ways to best access the different services available.

“With these service providers all working together, in a coordinated and agreed approach set out in the protocols, it will streamline the assistance being provided to victims and greatly assist them access timely and necessary services,” she said.

Among participants were senior representatives from the Fiji Police Force, Ministry of Health, Ministry of I’ Taukei, Affairs, Judiciary Department, Legal Aid Commission, Medical Services Pacific, Homes of Hope and House of Sarah and Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre.

Coordinator of the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre, Shamima Ali, said “this is going to help women, girls and child abuse survivors to better access services.”

“This is an historic milestone in the work on eliminating violence against women and girls,” Ms Ali said.

“The development of this protocol is binding us together – the many service providers – by clarifying good practices and exactly what each of our services offer, and how we can best work together to ensure survivors are treated with the dignity, respect and care they deserve.

“If we’re all coordinated and working better together, then we can better deliver the right service at the right time when it’s most needed by survivors of violence.”

UN Women Multi-Country Office (MCO) Representative, Aleta Miller, praised the efforts of the Fiji Government and the many service providers and partners in developing this National Service Delivery Protocol.

“The government and service providers of Fiji have been outstanding in their level of commitment and dedication in formulating these interagency protocols to assist survivors of gender-based violence,” said Ms Miller.

“UN Women is pleased to collaborate with government and partners to provide the high-level of technical expertise required to assist draft the document, as well as provide funding for the protocol’s development including its comprehensive consultation process at divisional level and nationally via this workshop.”

Plans are underway for the Service Delivery Protocol to be endorsed by Cabinet in the upcoming months.

Development of the Fiji Government’s draft National Service Delivery Protocol and this week’s workshop, is funded by the UN Women Multi-Country Office (MCO) in Fiji. The UN Women MCO’s Ending Violence Against Women and Girls programme aims to enable women and girls to live lives free from violence, and is one of four focus areas for the UN Women MCO in Fiji. It has been designed around international and Pacific evidence to improve the policy environment, to meet the immediate needs of women who are experiencing violence, and to prevent violence from occurring.