Project Report – Fiji 2010 - Pacific Health Voices

although the pattern of such violence may be different to that experienced in the context of
long-term partnerships, and studies often examine the two issues separately.
Sexual violence occurs both within intimate partnerships and outside them. It has a significant
impact on both girls and boys, although among adults women are at substantially greater risk of
victimization than men. Sexually violent acts can be perpetrated by intimate partners, family
members, friends, acquaintances, authority figures such as teachers or clergy, or strangers. In
most communities however intimate partners and people known to the victim are by far the
most common category of perpetrator. Sexual violence takes different forms over the life
course, from child sexual abuse to forced sexual initiation to sexual coercion within and outside
intimate.
In the Western Pacific Region, about 57 000 deaths occur annually because of violence (Global
Burden of Disease, WHO, 2004). Many more are injured and suffer a range of physical, sexual,
reproductive and mental health problems. Moreover, violence places a massive burden on
national economies because of expenditure on health care and law enforcement, and lost
productivity.
2. BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE
The gender sensitization and creating awareness activities with prevention strategies in
violence against women (VAW) have been remarkably covered and championed by the NGO
support groups in Fiji over the years – in particular the Fiji Women’s crisis centre, the Council
of women and its affiliates, the church and religious groups, Department of Women, Fiji Police
Force, Ministry of health and other stakeholders. For the past decades, these activities in
Violence against women have been strengthened taking a new turn in advocacy and policy
interventions, commenced the annual 16 days of awareness program including the reclaiming
the night march in Suva and around the main cities in Fiji. The reconciliation stand and no drop
policy adopted and implemented by the Fiji Police Force in all VAW reported cases since 2005
has also made positive impact and strengthened this program.
Most of the data now available on VAW in Fiji are from those that report it to the Fiji Women’s
crisis centre from the records of the Fiji Police Force – voluntarily done so by victims of VAW.
However, one of the gaps identified is the number of cases of Injuries and other sustained
impacts on VAW seen in the health facilities in Fiji. There is no data available from Fiji MOH in
health services and on service providers on VAW patients that are managed and treated in the
government health facilities. What is also not known are:
whether injuries sustained through VAW come to the hospitals or health facilities,
are these data easily captured in the PATIS, or hospital records or CMR or nurses reports
what types of injuries are sustained – which ones are commonly seen,
what type of treatment was given – whether they were treated as outpatients, admitted
or referred to a higher health facility
What are the outcomes of these injuries
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