The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre (FWCC) has raised serious concern over an alleged case of domestic violence involving a police officer, saying the incident highlights ongoing impunity and systemic failures within the justice system.
FWCC Coordinator Shamima Ali said the Centre dealt with a case this year in which a woman was allegedly handcuffed and beaten by her husband, who is a police officer — yet no charges have been laid.
“He is still working, and no charges have been laid,” Ali said.
“This is the kind of impunity that continues to silence survivors and erode trust in the system.”
Ali said the case reflects a broader pattern where survivors feel re-victimised during the police process.
“We still have survivors telling us stories of police failing to record complaints, urging reconciliation with the perpetrator, or minimising the violence,” she said.
“This is very evident when police officers themselves are perpetrators.”
She said women experience double jeopardy when the abuser is a police officer, despite the Fiji Police Force’s stated zero-tolerance policy on domestic violence.
“Some officers put pressure on survivors, saying things like, ‘Do you want him to lose his job? Who will feed you?’ These threats are directed at women — often police officers’ wives — who dare to complain,” Ali said.
FWCC says survivors are often encouraged to return home and drop their complaints, contributing to a culture of forced reconciliation that pushes women away from the courts.
“Women give up when the system shows them that their pain and story do not matter. That is the very definition of impunity — and it must end,” Ali stressed.
