With the intensity of disasters increasing in the Pacific region, the risk of gender based violence in emergencies (GBViE) for women and children is also increasing, said Ms Shamima Ali, Coordinator of the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre (FWCC) at a five day Pacific Regional Workshop on GBViE this week, 23-27 October, in Suva, Fiji.

The workshop, run by the Regional Training Institute of FWCC in partnership with the UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office (MCO), was attended by representatives from government ministries and civil society organisations (CSO’s) from Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Samoa. 

Naeemah Khan, Gender and Humanitarian Analyst from UN Women Fiji MCO said those on the frontline responding to gender based violence with agencies such as the National Disaster Management Offices and police, were brought together to look at the increasing risk of violence, exploitation and abuse during and following a disaster.

The aim is to improve the understanding of GBViE, highlight gaps and needs, adapt available services, clarify roles and responsibilities, reduce the overall risk of GBViE, and enhance coordination and information sharing.

“This is especially critical for women and children; people of diverse sexual and gender identities; and people living with a disability, as a disaster can displace them from their homes and systems of protection and support,” said Ms Khan.

UN Women Fiji MCO’s Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Programme Manager, Abigail Erikson said “We cannot treat violence against women as a health issue, nor as a women’s issue alone - gender inequality is the main issue”.

“It takes time to change mindsets and it’s hard work, but we are putting ending violence against women on everybody’s agenda,” she said.

In addition, she added the workshop is an important step to align efforts across key stakeholders such as women’s crises centres, community, and government agencies in five Pacific countries to prevent GBViE and ensure effective support for survivors during and after a disaster.

In its efforts to eliminate violence against women in Fiji and the Pacific region, the FWCC provides 24-hour counselling and emergency support, community education to raise awareness on violence against women as a human rights violation, and male advocacy to change ingrained attitudes that promote and perpetuate gender inequality.

FWCC is one of the founding members and secretariat of the Pacific Women’s Network Against Violence Against Women, which is the region’s longest-running network in working to eliminate violence against women since 1992.