Sport: Fiji join NRL in Voice against Violence campaign

Fiji are joining forces with NRL in their 'Voice against Violence' campaign, calling for the elimination of violence against women.

Fiji's national survey showed the rates of injury in Fiji due to intimate partner violence were among the highest in the world, while statistics from the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre showed that, as of July this year, there had been 534 cases reported, with many more going unrecorded.

The campaign coincides with the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.

It saw a crowd of over 400 walking through the capital of Suva to raise awareness and start conversations surrounding domestic abuse.

NRL in Fiji Development Manager, Ema Levaci, said the campaign was something her team of seven were passionate in supporting and addressing in Fiji.

"One of our real strong partnerships is with the local Fiji Women's Crisis Centre and looking to address areas to run through our programmes around eliminating violence against women and children and in the Pacific so for us that's a real big passionate programme we really hope that we can continue to address here in the Pacific."

The 'Voice against Violence' campaign aimed to: 'tucake (stand up), vosa mai (speak out), and vakayacora' (take action); and advocated for positive social change to prevent violence against women and their children through rugby league.

Levaci said a key area for the team was focusing on sport for development and addressing important societal issues.

"We've been able to design a programme that definitely addresses the core issues around gender-based violence and we've been fortunate enough to bring this programme across [from Australia to Fiji] and start building on the back of the work the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre has been doing," she said.

"As a sport, we're going straight to the clubs with it and addressing the young around the 16-aged plus up to the eldest about these issues."

Levaci said it was also important the men in her team were seen at the forefront of the campaign.

"I want that to come from another male to speak to other males and hopefully really get through to them that yes, I am a man and I definitely acknowledge there is a problem in the Pacific around violence and domestic violence, and we need to make changes."