Nabilah S
Shamima Ali, the Coordinator for the Fiji Women’s Crisis Center, emphasized the escalating issue of technology-facilitated gender-based violence during a regional workshop in Suva. Ali highlighted the urgent need for increased resources, particularly advocating for more funding for the Online Commission, which she noted is currently underfunded.
According to Ali, the government and relevant stakeholders must take collective responsibility to tackle this growing problem effectively. Reports of violence against women and girls in the region are on the rise, with online bullying, blackmail, and doxing becoming increasingly severe.
“It’s becoming extremely serious,” Ali remarked. “We receive numerous reports, and many women are coming forward. We have dedicated a full session to address this in two weeks.”
Ali highlights the lack of robust legislation and enforcement to tackle the escalating issue of online violence.
She mentions that specialists will be attending the upcoming training workshop to discuss and devise strategies to reinforce online violence legislation.
Ali points out that while Fiji has an Online Commission, it lacks effectiveness due to insufficient resources.
FWCC observes that as technology progresses, forms of abuse and violence are evolving in complexity, prompting a call for enhanced checks and balances to manage these challenges effectively.
