Fiji's Justice Minister says divorce is being "encouraged by the community", adding "it is slowly increasing year after year". Photo: 123RF
A Fijian women's rights campaigner has slammed a Cabinet minister for saying divorce was being "encouraged" by the society.
On 12 July, The Fiji Times reported that the country's Justice Minister, Siromi Turaga, said that people "no longer shy away" from ending their marriages.
Divorce, he said, was being "encouraged by the community", adding "it is slowly increasing year after year".
Turaga said breaking up a marriage led to broken families and landing children on the streets.
But Fiji's Women's Crisis Center coordinator Shamima Ali said Turaga's comments were "harmful" and "irresponsible".
The long-time advocate said divorce is a right provided by law and Turaga should know that better than anyone else.
"He's the keeper of the law and what he is saying is that he's blaming everything on divorce, that society encourages it," Ali said at a news conference on last Friday.
"From our experience we do know it's very difficult, it's a profound decision, particularly women make."
Shamima Ali. Photo: Supplied/FWCC
Fiji has one of the highest rates of violence against women, intimate partner violence, with two in three women having experienced physical or sexual violence from a male intimate partner, according to the National Action Plan to Prevent Violence against Women 2023-2028.
She said in the last decade, over 50 women died at the hands of their husbands and partners because it was "difficult for them to leave and it's very, when those divorces happen".
She said everyone can exercise their right and if they want to get away from a violent situation.
"In our 40 years of experience and from various research and surveys that have been carried out from various institutions, we have found that the two main reasons why women leave or where divorces occur is, the violence that's perpetrated against them in their own homes and infidelity.
"And mostly because we live in a patriarchal society," she added.
In June last year, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka called violence against women and girls a "national disgrace".
Ali said reasons why people are choosing to leave their marriage needed to be looked at.
"We need to look at that and whatever leaders say, it must come from a place of knowledge, information, ard evidence, because otherwise we'll be blaming everything else.
"I encourage all parliamentarians, all our leaders, traditional leaders, religious leaders, political leaders, whether they are men or women, they all must go through gender awareness, looking at power relations within our society."
Siromi Turaga Photo: Fiji Govt