THE Fiji Women's Crisis Centre has highlighted that the number of women who go through any form of brutality is increasing every year and that the issue needs to be addressed.
Centre co-ordinator Shamina Ali said a recent report showed that 61 per cent of women had survived physical and emotional abuse.
She said many women had undergone horrific brutality, and in some cases they had lost limbs, were stabbed, raped or even lost their lives.
"For some it is not a one off case of abuse but a lifetime of abuse due to women still living with their husbands after being abused in the past," she said. "People need to take a stand against such brutality since women are the ones being affected the most."
Ms Ali said the centre was doing its best to address the issues by creating community awareness and providing counselling.
"We even help women in medical, police and legal processes and even provide emergency refuge if the need arises," she said.
She said an example of such brutality was a case in the Central Division last month when a woman received eight severe cuts from her husband.
To mark International Women's Day on Friday UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ravi Pillay highlighted the need for serious investigations of acts of violent against women.
Mr Pillay highlighted this after serious cases occurred around the world last month, including a case in Papua New Guinea in which a 20-year-old mother of two was tortured and burned alive at a local rubbish dump in front of fellow villagers.
He said violence against women was one of the most pervasive violations of human rights and yet authorities responsible for protection and prosecution too often meet such acts with indifference.
"It is not enough simply to pass legislation and almost every country in the world has some kind of relevant legal framework in place," Mr Pillay said.