THE work of women’s organisations across Fiji appears to be stalling, according to Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre (FWCC) legal manager Miliana Tarai.
She told the multi-stakeholder roundtable on Critical Human Rights Challenges in Fiji that the growing lack of cohesion, political will and ideological clarity in the human rights and gender equality space is to be blamed.
Ms Tarai said now more than ever, it is essential for women’s organisations to remain grounded in feminist principles.
“The work we’ve been doing seems to not be stopping,” said Ms Tarai.
“Our motto is that we try to work ourselves out of business. But the reality is, because of the pushbacks that have been happening, it’s getting harder.”
She pointed to conflicting narratives being presented in communities by different organisations as a source of confusion and reduced impact.
“It’s very harmful when you have organisations going into a community and talking about patriarchy as the root cause of violence against women and girls and then another organisation comes in and says it’s alcohol.
“We need to make sure we’re all speaking the same language.”
Ms Tarai linked the challenges in Fiji to a broader global trend of growing misogyny and political resistance to women’s rights, referencing the rise of Trumpism, fascism, and backlash against feminist movements.
“We’ve been having pushback in terms of women’s rights globally and we are seeing the effects here.
“There’s a lack of political buy-in and political will when it comes to issues like violence against women, human rights, and a rights-based approach.”
She stressed that without a united, feminist-based foundation across advocacy groups, the effectiveness of efforts to combat gender-based violence and advance women’s rights in Fiji would continue to be undermined.
Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre (FWCC) legal manager Miliana Tarai. Picture: JONACANI LALAKOBAU
