STRENGTHENING democratic institutions and restoring judicial authority are among the central reforms proposed by the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM) in its submission to the Constitution Review Commission.
The movement’s board chairperson, Akanisi Nabalarua, is calling for greater judicial oversight and a return to stricter legal standards when limiting fundamental rights.
“The courts must remain the final arbiters of lawfulness,” she said.
“No law or decision should be beyond judicial scrutiny.”
The movement has also raised concern over the weakening of international human rights obligations under the current Constitution.
“While the 1997 Constitution required courts to apply international human rights standards, the 2013 Constitution weakened this obligation by changing the language from “must” to “may.”
“This has undermined enforceability and weakened legal protection for women’s rights.”
Its submission further proposes expanding legal standing to allow civil society organisations to take cases on behalf of vulnerable individuals.
“Justice should not depend on whether a person can fight alone,” said the movement’s program director, Laisa Bulatale.
It has also called for clearer separation of powers and reforms to strengthen independent institutions, including the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission.
The organisation said these changes were essential to ensure ‘transparency, accountability and a more balanced system of governance’.
