Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran, has called for the strengthening of Fiji’s Online Safety Act in response to rising levels of online hate directed at women, particularly those involved in politics.
Ms Kiran expressed concern over the increasing presence of online abuse and harassment, warning that it could discourage women from participating in the upcoming general election expected next year.
“The Online Safety Commission Act is much more focused on awareness, but right now that Act is under review,” she said.
“We are hoping that after review, it will come to Parliament soon enough, if not early next year, then in time for the election.”
Ms Kiran said there was a need for the updated legislation to have stronger enforcement powers.
“We want an Act with teeth, so that it is able to remove or take action against any hate speech.”
Currently, the Online Safety Commission works with digital platforms like META to remove harassing and harmful content when reported.
While this has had some impact, Ms Kiran said the government’s efforts were also focused on education and raising public awareness.
“We can plead with people to be kinder in this world of hate and try to protect our women or anybody.
“We are not the Fiji we claim to be with the amount of hate we see online, and I think we can do much better.”
Ms Kiran said online hate not only came from anonymous users but also from other women.
“There is a gap between women supporting women, particularly online.
“We’ve seen that most hateful comments are coming from women themselves.”
The review of the Online Safety Act is expected to be completed in the coming months, with proposed amendments likely to be tabled in Parliament ahead of the 2026 General Election.