Fiji's women crisis center to receive aid from Australia

SUVA, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Fiji will benefit from Australia's provision of 9.2 million Fiji dollars (4.9 million U.S. dollars) over the next six years as part of its continued support to the work of the Fiji Women's Crisis Center (FWCC) as more women experience violence in their homes.

These funds will enable the FWCC to provide crisis counseling, legal advice, advocacy, training, education and awareness, and other support services for women survivors of violence in the island nation as well as their neighboring countries.

Signing a funding agreement in Suva on Tuesday, the Australian High Commissioner, James Batley, noted that the FWCC has been performing this vital role for 25 years and Australia was proud to provide financial support to the Center since 1989.

A study carried out by the Fiji Women's Crisis Center has revealed that up to 66 percent of women surveyed had experienced physical violence from their partner, and up to 30 percent of victims reported being subjected to repeated abuse.

In 2002, the Reserve Bank of Fiji calculated that violence against women costs Fiji's economy 7 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP).

On Aug. 11, the Australian government launched a new frame work, Stop Violence: Responding to Violence against Women in Melanesia and East Timor, to help eliminate violence against women, including in Fiji.

This new phase of Australian funding for the Fiji Women's Crisis Center is a major part of implementing this framework.

The Fiji Women's Crisis Center has over many years provided counseling and support services to more than 18,000 people.

FWCC is a regional Center of Excellence, given its leadership role in advocacy for women's rights, as well as its strengths in training and mentoring other groups throughout Fiji and the region.

The funds given to FWCC will enable the center to provide crisis counseling, legal advice, advocacy, training, education and awareness, and other support services for women survivors of violence.