ADOPTING the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action has boosted the status of women and girls over the past 25 years, says Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Minister Mereseini Vuniwaqa.
While delivering her International Women’s Day message, she said Fiji’s ranking on the World Economic Forum’s global gender gap shifted 15 places up from 121 to 106 out of 187 countries in 2018.
Mrs Vuniwaqa said significant achievements and development of women and girls’ participation — particularly in the areas of education, maternal mortality, women’s representation in leadership positions — increased public awareness and recognition of women’s rights as well as progressive legislative frameworks had been welcomed.
However, she said, while acknowledging the development strides, Fiji was still challenged with a high prevalence of violence against women and girls, discriminatory social norms, behaviours and attitudes.
Mrs Vuniwaqa said the challenges also extended to limited participation of women in the formal economy, adolescents’ limited access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information and services, high incidence/mortality rate of cervical and breast cancers, limited institutional capacity, knowledge and resources on gender transformative programing as well as availability of sex-disaggregated data and analysis.
She said gender equality was no longer an option it was the best chance Fiji had in meeting some of the most pressing challenges of this time.
“Together let’s stand firm and press on generation equality for a brighter and equal future for all women and girls.”
The Beijing Declaration was aimed at removing all obstacles to women’s active participation in all spheres of public and private life through ensuring women a full and equal share in economic, social, cultural and political decision-making.
