The Fiji Women's Crisis Centre (FWCC) is a
non-government organization
A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...
(NGO) in
Fiji
Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...
. Established in 1984, it offers counselling and legal, medical, and practical support to woman and children victims of violence in
Fiji
Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...
.
History
The Women's Crisis Centre started in August 1984. The founding group met in 1983, when women of a variety of races, nationalities, religions and beliefs, got together and expressed a fear about the number of sexual attacks on women in and around the city of
Suva
Suva (, ) is the Capital city, capital and the most populous city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rew ...
. The group was worried about the lack of support for women. There was no official body to provide help, so the women decided to work towards providing such a service themselves.
The Centre is funded by donations and by small grants, occasionally from the government. It is a charitable trust affiliated to the
National Council of Women. However, the National Council of Women has not provided much help to the Centre; the WCC however still wished to be affiliated to the NCW. Presently, the centre is made up of about 30 women, mostly locals and some
expatriate
An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country.
The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...
s. Its aim is to continue to increase the number of local women members, and the Centre constantly works to this end.
Shamima Ali has served as a coordinator or director of FWCC for many years.
FWCC provides training for police so that they can better understand issues relating to
sexual harassment
Sexual harassment is a type of harassment based on the sex or gender of a victim. It can involve offensive sexist or sexual behavior, verbal or physical actions, up to bribery, coercion, and assault. Harassment may be explicit or implicit, wit ...
and
rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...
.
As of 2021 the centre employs 16 staff.
[ It is governed by a board of four trustees.][
]
See also
* Violence against women in Fiji
Violence against women in Fiji is recognised to be "pervasive, widespread and a serious national issue" in the Pacific Island region. Fiji's rates of violence against women are "among the very highest in the world". The Fiji Women's Crisis Centre ...
* Sereima Lomaloma
References
{{reflist
External links
Official site
Organisations based in Fiji
Fijian women
Violence against women in Fiji