EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This research has been prompted by the grave concern for the increasing numbers of reports of domestic violence and sexual abuse occurring in Fiji. In recent years domestic violence related cases have made local newspaper headlines almost on a daily basis. Police reports showed that in the period from 1993 -1997, a total of 2234 cases of domestic violence related cases were reported, while the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre recorded a total of 1074 cases for the same period. It is a known fact that domestic violence related cases are usually under-reported, in fact studies based in other countries suggest that only 1 out of every 10 cases is reported.

In Fiji, the incidence and nature of gender violence is cause for serious concern and calls for action at all levels. This study was premised by commonly held perceptions of domestic violence in Fiji that are generic to the problem of domestic violence in most countries:
i. Reported cases do not reflect its true prevalence;
ii. There appears to exist in Fiji a culture that is accepting of violence in the home which is a controlling measure over family members, perpetuating a cycle of violence that we as a society appear to have accepted as a norm.
iii. The incidence and nature of acts of violence perpetrated against women in their homes are increasing in number and gravity as shown by the frequency of reported cases in the media and the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre and its branches.
iv. Violence against women is a limiting factor to women's effective participation in economic development and therefore translates itself to an economic loss of increasing proportions to the nation.

It is also acknowledged that there has been an increase in This has also contributed to the increased level of reported cases, a justification for the perception of the high level of under reporting that exists in Fiji society.

OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence, prevalence and attitudes towards Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault in Fiji. This study has been made possible with funding from the UNIFEM Trust Fund, Asia Foundation and the Department of Women and Culture and is the first of its kind to be conducted in Fiji.

This research was intended to be comprehensive in that it began by initially examining Police records on reported incidences of domestic violence and sexual assault to highlight trends in the reporting of such cases and the type of action taken by authorities in dealing with these cases. A nation-wide survey complemented with focus group discussions and personal interviews was then conducted to determine the prevalence and nature of and attitude towards Domestic Violence. This triangular approach was necessary to determine the level of domestic violence, its character and form as well as the profile of both victims and perpetrators, at a national level. It is intended that the findings of this research will provide a platform for action by the FWCC as well other agencies in the efforts to eliminate domestic violence.

Phase One: Investigation of Police Records on cases of sexual harassment and assault

· To provide data on the trend in the reporting of domestic violence to the police, and those that resulted in court action between areas with access to a Crisis Centre and areas without any access.
· To compare trends with data and statistics from the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre for the same period.

Phase Two: National Survey: Prevalence and Nature of Domestic Violence

· To provide a benchmark figure of the nature, forms, incidence and prevalence of domestic violence in Fiji.

· To supplement the data compiled in Phases One with additional qualitative research of key agency and institutions' attitudes to domestic violence.

· To produce a comprehensive report on domestic violence that can be utilised by the various service and community providers; to have a national database of information to inform FWCC's education, training and lobbying activities.

· To make recommendations on how agencies responsible for implementing the Beijing Platform for Action and CEDAW could address the Fiji government's commitment to these agendas.

METHODOLOGY
A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods were used. For the survey of Police records a stratified sampling approach was used to select a sample of 1287 cases over the period from 1993-1997 from the four main administrative divisions.

For the survey, a population sample of 1575 was used with a survey questionnaire as the main instrument and undertaken in urban and rural Fiji representative of gender, ethnicity and age. Focus Groups and Key Informants were representative of service agencies, church organisations and key individuals in the community.

FINDINGS
1.0 Domestic Violence
i. Prevalence
Domestic violence in Fiji is prevalent. Although reported cases from both the Police and the FWCC make up only a small percentage of the total crime reports, 80 percent of those who took part in the survey had at sometime in their life witnessed violence within the home.

ii. Victim and Perpetrator Profiles
Reported cases to the Police and the FWCC were consistent with survey results confirming that in 95 per cent of the cases victims were females and perpetrators were male. No age group was spared from attacks of violence. Perpetrators were mostly male family members with a small percentage (3%) being female members.

iii. Partner and Non-Partner Violence
Partner abuse was experienced by both females and males but was higher for females with 66 percent of female respondents reported being abused by their partners. This was consistent with the level of response from respondents who reported witnessing their fathers physically abusing their mothers. Non-partner abuse on the other hand, revealed that female in-laws comprised the largest group of perpetrators followed by siblings.
iv. Nature
The use of weapons in domestic violence attacks was not as widespread as the use of the hand or fist or other body parts. Where the male was the perpetrator, physical violence was used but in cases where the female was the perpetrator, objects tended to be used as weapons. This was perceived to occur more in cases where the female was acting in retaliation to abuse being inflicted upon her. Weapons used were mostly household objects.

Domestic violence occurred in varying frequencies. Over 30 percent of female victims reported being physically abused repeatedly with a small percentage of males also reported to being victims who were frequently abused by their partner.

Injuries sustained by victims were mostly to the head and face and in 86 percent of cases of domestic violence, the physical abuse occurred in the home.

Pregnant women were not spared from physical abuse by their partners with a large proportion, 44 percent reported being hit while pregnant. For most women in these situations, the abuse began at the first pregnancy and usually continued throughout the marriage. The main reason given by victims for the abuse was their refusal to have sex with their partners while pregnant, with drunkenness on the part of the man and disobedience on the part of the woman given as other significant reasons.

v. Tolerance
There is a high level of tolerance of domestic violence in Fiji. Women themselves appear to be culturally and socially conditioned to believe that violence inflicted upon them was justified under certain circumstances. While 80 percent of respondents indicated that they would intervene in domestic violence conflicts, this appeared to contradict experiences of victims where intervention was rare. The use of violence as a form of discipline in the home was still prevalent.

vi. Racial and Ethnic Differences
Domestic violence is not confined to any particular racial group and is quite prevalent amongst both Fijians and Indians. FWCC reports indicated that ethnic Indian women sought counselling and assistance more than ethnic Fijian women.

vii. Reasons for Justification of Domestic Violence
Disobedience on the part of the woman was the main reason given by both men and women for the justification of domestic violence upon a woman by her partner. The second major reason was flirting and adultery. On the other hand, it was felt that women were justified in hitting their husbands when he committed adultery or was caught flirting. Reasons given for the justification of other family members hitting men or women in their household was mostly disobedience.

viii. Use of Support Services by victims
A large percentage (74%) of women victims neither sought medical attention nor reported the matter to the Police. The main reason given for this was that they considered the injury not serious enough to be reported. The large gap between the number of reported cases and the survey results indicate the severity of the problem of under reporting. The lack of adequate services and community support for victims of domestic violence and their families is a noteworthy contributory factor.

ix. Outcome of reported cases
The slow pace of the law and the Judiciary machinery to process such reports to completion, is discouraging for women victims who have opted to take court action. From sampled Police reports for the period from 1993-1997, 38 percent resulted in reconciliation, while 7 percent resulted in reconciliation and sentencing. The majority of victims do not report the violence at all due to fear of reprisal from their partners.

2.0 Sexual Harassment and Assault
i. Prevalence
Rape and Indecent assault comprised 50 percent of cases sampled from Police records over the period from 1993-1997. The proportion of survey respondents who indicated that they knew of someone who was a victim was close to 50 percent while 13.2 percent, reported that they were victims of rape. However, reports to the FWCC show a steady increase in cases of rape and sexual assault. Indications are that cases of sexual harassment and rape are significantly under reported.

ii. Victim and Perpetrator Profiles
From Police and FWCC reports all the perpetrators from the reported cases were male and 96 percent of victims females. No age group was spared in the victim category with the youngest being less than six years old and the oldest over fifty five years. The largest group of victims were the 11-15 year olds comprising 30 percent. The perpetrators were mostly in the 20-29 age category, although no age group was exempted.

iii. Relationship between Victim and Perpetrator
Based on Police records, the highest proportion (40 percent) of sexual assault cases were committed by male perpetrators who were strangers to the victim but in cases reported to FWCC, 74 per cent of the perpetrators were known to the victim. A comparative analysis of Police and FWCC records show that cases involving a stranger as the perpetrator, were more likely to be reported to the Police compared to those that were reported to FWCC where the perpetrator was known to the victim. Relatives made up the biggest group of perpetrators being close to 31 percent.

iv. Racial and Ethnic Differences
Crimes of sexual assault and rape tended to be intra-racial even where the offences were committed strangers. Patterns of assault and victim and perpetrator profiles, on the other hand, were applicable to all ethnic groups.

v. Under-reporting of sexual assault
Sexual Assault cases especially in a domestic setting was perceived to be significantly under reported. This is attributed to the fact that the perpetrator in most cases were male members of the family as seen in 40 percent of the cases reported to the Police. There is still the strongly held view that sexual assaults of this nature are a private family matter. Increased public awareness and community education has contributed to an increased level of reporting.

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

FIJI WOMEN'S CRISIS CENTRE

Recommendation 1
There is a need for a stronger FWCC presence in the North and in the West of Fiji.
Recommendation 2
FWCC needs to expand its community education and awareness raising programmes in the rural areas.
Recommendation 3
FWCC needs to be more proactive in training other organisations and people in the skills and strategies needed to work in this area.
Recommendation 4
More in-depth research is needed in the area of sexual assault in Fiji, as this was not addressed fully in the survey.
Recommendation 5
More community education programmes and campaigns need to directly target men on the promotion of non-violence and conflict resolution.
Recommendation 6
Increased visits and consultations with staff of Police Stations and Court Houses will assist in improving channels of communications.
Recommendation 7
Organise further consultation and a stronger lobby for specific domestic violence legislation.

POLICE FORCE

Recommendation 8
The 'No Drop policy' needs to be legislated and disciplinary action taken if breached by officers.
Recommendation 9
Regular gender-sensitivity training programmes should be carried out at all levels of the Police Force, especially among older and higher-ranking officers.
Recommendation 10
Police officers should attend the Regional Training Programme offered by FWCC.
Recommendation 11
Police officers also need to undergo anger-management and conflict resolution training.
Recommendation 12
All Police Stations to have a ' Women's Complaints Centre' with a view to establishing Women's Police Stations.
Recommendation 13
For research purposes records need to be kept of the number of clients presenting with domestic violence and sexual assault cases.

Department of Social Welfare

Recommendation 14
The Government should make a serious commitment towards combating domestic violence by increasing its budget allocation to the Department.
Recommendation 15
Staff members must undergo appropriate gender training, training on the issues of violence against women and children and training in counselling skills.
Recommendation 16
Departmental procedures and staff attitudes should be more 'client-friendly' and 'women-friendly'.
Recommendation 17
The Department must have the resources and personnel to enable ongoing monitoring of cases that require it.
Recommendation 18
The Department should ensure that it has the resources and the authority to carry out field visits, as these are an essential part of the monitoring process.

JUDICIARY

Recommendation 19
Members of the Judiciary need to undergo gender sensitivity training and awareness on the dynamics of violence against women.
Recommendation 20
Sentencing should be seriously reviewed with a Board of Enquiry set up to look into this issue.
Recommendation 21
Serious and urgent commitment must be accorded to ensuring that specific Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Legislation is enacted at the earliest possible time.
Recommendation 22
Expert counselling should be made compulsory for all perpetrators of violence against women and children.
Recommendation 23
Legal aid should be made more accessible.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

Recommendation 24
Women in remote areas must have better access to medical care at health centres.
Recommendation 25
Routine checkup e.g. prenatal checkups should include screening and monitoring for domestic violence.
Recommendation 26
Privacy and confidentiality of patient cases needs to be taken more seriously.
Recommendation 27
Doctors and nurses need to receive training in procedures of handling domestic violence and sexual assault cases.
Recommendation 28
Specialised treatment should be made available for children who have been sexually assaulted.
Recommendation 29
Ensure that appropriate facilities and equipment are available for victim/survivors of sexual assault.
Recommendation 30
Work towards the provision of a special examination room for victims/ survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse

MINISTRY FOR EDUCATION

Recommendation 31
Abolish Corporal Punishment in schools.
Recommendation 32
All students should have access to trained student counsellors, where confidentiality is guaranteed.
Recommendation 33
All schools and tertiary institutions should put in place policies dealing with sexual harassment.
Recommendation 34
The school curriculum must include the issues of gender and violence against women.

RELIGIOUS BODIES

Recommendation 35
Churches and religious organisations must play a more pro-active role in eliminating violence against women and in eradicating its acceptance within the community.
Recommendation 36
The curriculum at the religious training institutions should include liberation theology and awareness raising on gender and violence against women.
Recommendation 37
Religious leaders should be specifically trained to deal with cases of violence against women in a gender-sensitive manner.
Recommendation 38
Women's leadership within religious organisations and hierarchies should be encouraged and practised.

GENERAL
Recommendation 39
Domestic or family violence is everyone's business; a multi-disciplinary approach to addressing the issue would be more effective given the serious resource constraints.