TARA Chetty may have been the friendly, familiar face and voice on television. As mentor and an inspiration for young women of Fiji today, she is more than that.
To be the voice of vulnerable and fragile women is Tara's aim in life.
She works as a communications officer at the Fiji Women's Rights Movement, a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural non-governmental organisation committed to removing discrimination against women through institutional reform and attitudinal change.
She is currently working on a DVD project called Tok Talk: Nourishing as Asia-Pacific Feminist Movement, which looks at how we work with women from around the Pacific region and Asia towards achieving women's human rights.
"The most interesting thing about working for a feminist organisation like FWRM is that I get to do lots of different things, including training young women, speaking out in public to promote women's rights and helping students and researchers learn more about Fiji's women. The most exciting part of our work is probably our work with young women. They challenge us to think differently, and to find new ways to communicate women's issues," says Ms Chetty.
As a women's advocate, her top priority is to try and see things from the perspective of women and girls, particularly those marginalised and living in poverty. Spending three and a half years at FWRM, she says, has been challenging but most rewarding.
We all face discrimination based on our identity, says Ms Chetty.
"But for women and girls, this discrimination is compounded by their gender. Women have access to fewer opportunities because they are confined to their gender roles, and face a greater burden of work such as care-giving, raising children, cooking, washing and housekeeping, as well as waged jobs. These burdens and discrimination mean that women are often the poorest of the poor, and are also more vulnerable to violence and abuse..
She feels strongly about fighting against injustice and has this advice for all the young women out there.
"We have a responsibility to each other: Don't be silent about violence and injustice in your community because it hurts everyone. We also need to take care of the world around us -- our forests, rivers and ocean -- which give us life."
