Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NAP?

• The NAP is the acronym or short-form used for the Fiji National Action Plan to Prevent Violence Against All Women and Girls.

• The NAP will promote a shared understanding and ensure a collaborative and comprehensive approach to prevent violence against women and girls in Fiji.

• The NAP is a whole-of-government, whole-of-community, evidence-based, measurable, inclusive and funded five-year plan (2021-2026) with an emphasis on stopping violence before it starts.

Who is funding the NAP?

UN Women is the primary technical partner to the MWCPA in developing the NAP, and is also providing technical and financial support through the Pacific Partnership to End Violence Against Women and Girls, funded primarily by the European Union (EU), and the Governments of Australia and New Zealand, and UN Women. In addition to UN Women, the MWCPA is receiving further technical support from the Government of Australia.

What is the purpose of the national consultations?

The goal of the national consultations is to build a shared understanding as a nation on why violence against women and girls happens in Fiji; its root causes and contributing factors; and to ensure that the NAP is informed by experience, knowledge and expertise that exists among diverse settings, sectors, and communities in Fiji to prevent and respond to violence against ALL women and girls.

How will the NAP consultations happen and who will be involved?

Thirteen key prevention sectors have been identified to be part of the national consultation process. A mixed-method approach will be used to ensure Fijians are able to contribute with ease and the process is inclusive, such as 1-2-day workshops, focus groups, through social media, and so on. The 13 sectors include:

1. Education Sector

2. Universities, technical and vocational colleges

3. Workplaces & corporations

4. Sports & recreation spaces

5. Arts

6. Health and social services

7. Faith based contexts

8. Media, advertising, entertainment

9. Public spaces, transport, infrastructure

10. Legal, justice and corrections

11. Informal sector

12. Military

13. Traditional institutions and entities

The consultation process will be inclusive and include lesbian, bisexual and trans women; women with disabilities; women in rural and remote areas; adolescent girls; and women from all diverse ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds.

Why do we need the NAP?

Fiji is facing an widespread violence against women and girls in both public and private spaces.

Violence takes a profound and long-term toll on women’s health and wellbeing, on their families and communities, and on a nation’s development.

The root cause of violence is gender inequality, and men’s power and control over women (also known as patriarchy) and associated ingrained belief systems that support this gender inequality. Contributing factors are those that increase women’s risk of experiencing violence, and men’s of perpetrating it (for example, women who experience or witness violence as girls have an increased risk of experiencing it as adults, and men who experience it as boys, have an increased risk of perpetrating it as adults).

Fiji has one of the highest recorded rates of violence against women and girls globally, with almost 2 out of 3 women who have been subjected to physical or sexual violence in their lifetime - this is unacceptable and requires a bold and ambitious response at the national level like the NAP.