How many more women need to die in this way for us all as Fijians to say enough is enough.

Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre coordinator Shamima Ali did not mince her words in a statement issued today in the wake of a yet another murder of a young woman allegedly by her husband this week.

She said all Fijians need to “all get on the same page and recognise and agree that patriarchy embedded in society is the cause of violence against women and girls: that we need to examine male behaviour and society’s responsibility.”

“Fiji has one of the highest rates of domestic violence where 64% of women go through sexual, physical, and emotional violence,” Ms Ali said.

“This is a gross violation of women’s human rights. 

“Men who use violence are our neighbours, our family members, our partners – and we must start treating this as a systemic problem, instead of seeing this as an issue caused by a few bad men.

“Our research indicates that for the past 10 years an average of six women a year have been killed as a consequence of ongoing domestic violence. 

“Remember these are just the murders of women which are documented either by the media or police. What about the cases we only hear about and are not reported or even heard about. 

“We don’t know the true numbers. Femicide or the murder of women is a growing concern in Fiji, and it needs to be addressed urgently.”