Civil Society and NGO Reports, Papers and Statements

Pacific Women Exploring Nonviolence
International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), Documentary, September 2004
This new 25-minute video explores the reality behind the myth of a peaceful Pacific. Twenty women peace activists from Bougainville, East Timor, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands explain the causes and effects of armed conflict in their region, and the risks they are taking to build peace.

Annual Report on Fiji
Amnesty International, 2004

Women Peacebuilders in Fiji Commemorate Resolution 1325
Sharon Bhagwan, National Council of Women Fiji (NCWF) at St. Anne’s Primary School for their Peace Day celebrations, 31 October 2002

NGO Report on the Status of Women in the Republic of Fiji
Fiji Women's Rights Movement, the Fiji Women's Crisis Center, and the Ecumenical Centre for Research Education and Advocacy, 12 January 2002
This NGO report details the obstacles that the coup in Fiji presented for the advancement of women's equality.

Women's Response to Fiji Cabinet Line-Up
Women's Action for Democracy and Peace, 4 July 2000
This statement is an open letter to the government of Fiji protesting the lack of gender and racial equality among cabinet members.

UN Documents

Pacific Workshop Report: Strengthening Partnerships to End Violence Against Women
UNIFEM, in partnership with the Commonwealth Secretariat, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Suva, Fiji, February 17-19, 2003.
This report synthesizes the multiple factors that contribute to and result from violence perpetrated against women in Pacific societies.

UN Commission on Human Rights: Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography
Presented at the 56th Session of the Commission on Human Rights, December 27, 1999



Government Statements and Reports

Gender Equality A Fundamental to Peace Building
A statement released by the Fiji government, 28 May 2004

Family Law Bill 2002
The Family Law Bill was passed by the Parliament of Fiji in 2003, granting married women equal rights to matrimonial property and child custody in the case of divorce. The bill also gives economic value to women's unpaid labor by granting them equal access to shared property.

Fiji's Initial Report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
Government of the Fiji Islands, CEDAW/C/FJI/1, 14 March 2000
Examined at 26th Session of the Committee, 2002

Fiji National Report on the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, 1999



Books, Journals and Articles

fem’TALK Enews bulletin
femLINKpacific: Media Initiatives for Women, Suva, Fiji Islands, August/September 2004

Fiji Women’s Crisis Center's Newsletters
Local and regional newsletters on violence against women, HIV/AIDS, and gender equality in Fiji

femTALK': Sharing the Light
Released by femLINKpacific, the film “'femTALK': Sharing the Light” accompanied by a viewing/discussion guide features women's accounts of Diwali (celebration of a significant event that highlights Fiji’s collective values and beliefs) and Peace. The community media initiative addresses the collective challenge of bringing about long-term peace through dialogue between the different ethnic and religious communities in order to cultivate greater respect and understanding of each other's values.

femTALK E-News on femTALK 1325
fem’LINKpacific: Media Initiatives for Women, December 2003

Pacific Women and the Law: The Status of Fiji
Cristina Veran, The Witness Magazine, 17 August 2003
An interview with Imrana P. Jalal, an expert on Pacific Islands feminist issues and regional law, on the ways that race, religion, custom, and law shape the nation of Fiji and its female citizens.

Women and Violence in Post-Coup Fiji: The Challenge for Donors and NGO Recipients
Nicole George, Submission to Senate Inquiry, Hearings on Australia's Relations with Papua New Guinea and the Island States of the South West Pacific, 2002/2003
This article presents an analysis of the correlation between violence in conflict situations and violence against women, with recommendations for NGOs and international donor agencies.

Gender Issues in Post Coup d'Etat Fiji: Snapshots from the Fiji Islands (a short story of life in the feminist trenches)
P. Imrana Jala, Chief Resource Trainer (Rights/Legal), Pacific Regional Human Rights Education Resource Team (RRRT), Suva, Fiji, 6 July 2002
Presented as the keynote address at the Townsville International Women's Conference (3-7 July 2002), "Poverty, Violence, and Women's Rights: Setting a Global Agenda." This essay addresses the intersections among gender, race, and democracy in post-Coup Fiji.

Fiji: Trouble in Paradise
Mavic Cabrera-Balleza, Women in Action, 1-2: 2000
An interview with Raijeli Nicole of the Fiji Women's Rights Movement on the civilian coup in Fiji and its impact on women.

Democracy Held Hostage
Joy Pincus, WIN Magazine (36), October 2000
This article describes the efforts of the National Council of Women in Fiji to restore peace and democracy after the 2000 civilian coup.

Law for Pacific Women: Legal Rights Handbook
Imrana P. Jalal, Fiji Women's Rights Movement, 1988
An introduction to laws affecting women in Fiji, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and (Western) Samoa.
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