Violence against women and girls is among the most universal and pervasive human rights violations, affecting at least a billion women across the globe says Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Veena Bhatnagar. Bhatnagar made these comments at a sports event in Nadi re-emphasizing Government’s stand on addressing violence against women and children through its policies and partnerships.
The Island Pacific Apparel /Hai’s Autoport [CANADA] Ltd 4th Futsal Carnival held last Saturday at Nadi Muslim College had a theme on ‘No Family Violence’.
Bhatnagar said that gender-based violence is the most extreme form of the global and systemic inequality experienced by women and girls.
“We must all stand up against abusive behaviour and have a role to play in ending violence against women and to play our part in protecting women and girls from discrimination and violence,” she said.
Bhatnagar acknowledged the tournaments stakeholders for organizing an event with a theme targeted at eradicating family violence from all sectors.
The assistant minister stressed the importance of eliminating violence against women and said that Fiji cannot afford to let another generation grow up thinking violence against women is a norm.
She stated that this is a matter of shame and disgrace that violence against women is reported in such high numbers in Fiji.
The event was aimed at raising funds to cover sports expenses for students of Nadi Muslim College.