FIJI – Fiji’s Parliamentary Speaker is refusing to apologise for saying that women sometimes cause domestic violence.

Women’s groups say Jiko Luveni’s comments are dangerous, and come as attitudes blaming women for violence are slowly starting to change.

But Dr Luveni says her comments were made within the context of an informal discussion with a group of women about how to protect themselves from family violence.

“I said that sometimes women do aggravate the situation – and this has come from my sessions with the women themselves, that in some cases women also are not responding well to the behaviour of their husbands and they cause the violence within the house.”

The Speaker says she strongly supports women’s rights, and believes men have a responsibility to love their wives and treat them with respect.

But she says her message reflects the realities within the family home.

“Someone has to give, either husband has to give, or the wife should give, they can’t both be confrontational because that leads to violence.

“And women, because we are the weaker sex in the husband and wife situation, sometimes we need to devise an approach where we can understand our husband.”

Dr Luveni says she stands by her comments, despite a call from the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre for her to retract them and apologise.

The Centre’s co-ordinator Shamima Ali says the comments are dangerous as they encourage perpetrators to continue their violence, and are a disgrace at a time when Fiji has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the world.

“We’ve just had two terrible murders of women, mutilation and so on, of young women over the last two weeks, and then we have the Speaker of the House who is seen as a leader, and a women leader, making comments that are so regressive, telling women not to provoke men.”

The Speaker’s comments come after a Methodist Church minister reportedly stated that increasing sentences for perpetrators of violence will not work, and that women and girls should be educated about the physical, mental, and emotional state of men.

Ali says such attitudes are especially disappointing as they come when other leaders, including the prime minister have spoken out about the need to create a culture that condemns domestic violence.

“It’s very damaging because we’re just getting people to recognise violence against women as a human rights violation. We are just getting the police getting its act together, getting the police trained and so on. Just very slowly trying to change attitudes, the men are coming on board.”

The executive director of the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement, Tara Chetty agrees there has been a shift in attitudes so that violence against women is no longer so acceptable in Fiji.

But she says the reality for some women will take time to change, and it’s important that shift is not set back by comments like Dr Luveni’s which perpetuate myths about violence.

“It’s not helpful because it shifts the responsibility back on women and not on those who perpetuate violence. Violence is caused by perpetrators and by the deeply entrenched widespread discrimination against women.”

Fiji’s Minister for Women Rosy Akbar told the Fiji Sun the Speaker’s statements were “saddening and inappropriate”.

Akbar said says there is never any excuse for violence, and victim blaming makes it harder for victims to come forward, and easier for perpetrators to avoid accountability.

She reiterated that the government did not tolerate or condone any form of violence against women and children or anyone.

“I believe there is never any excuse for violence.”

Akbar acknowledged that while Fiji may have one of the best laws to curb violence against women and children, community leaders needed to work together.

“We all need to work together to see how best we can protect – not only our women and girls but also our children, our elderly, our disabled and all vulnerable group.”

Ali said the women of Fiji who have died and those who struggle to survive domestic violence deserve an apology from the Speaker. - RNZI/PNC