The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre (FWCC) has condemned online comments supporting the accused players and blaming the alleged rape survivors, warning that such reactions discourage victims from reporting sexual violence.
In a statement issued yesterday, FWCC coordinator Shamima Ali said the centre stood firmly with the women who had reported rape and sexual assault, describing their actions as courageous despite facing hostility, intimidation and disbelief.
“We stand with you, we believe you, and we are here to support you,” Ms Ali said.
She encouraged women, girls and children seeking assistance to contact the Free National Domestic Violence Helpline on 1560, which operates 24 hours a day and is free to call from any network.
“Any woman, girl, or child can reach out to us. You are not to blame for the rape committed.”
Ms Ali said victim-blaming attitudes contributed to a culture that protected perpetrators and silenced survivors.
“Every time you blame a rape survivor, you contribute to a culture that protects perpetrators and silences survivors.”
She stressed that responsibility for rape rested solely with the perpetrator and not with the survivor.
She described rape as “an act of violence using sex on a woman’s body” and said it was a humiliating and degrading act committed against women. Ms Ali said the situation was unfolding in a context where reporting sexual violence was already extremely difficult for women and girls in Fiji.
“Many survivors delay reporting for years or never report at all because of anticipated backlash. In many cases, perpetrators are within the same household, which adds layers of fear, pressure, and silence around disclosure.”
Ms Ali said survivors frequently faced fears of retaliation, disrupting family relationships, being disbelieved and public shaming even before making a complaint.
She said social media comments that excused rape or blamed victims reinforced these barriers and could discourage survivors from coming forward.
The FWCC has urged members of the public to allow the legal process to proceed and to avoid commentary that shames or blames those who report sexual violence.
