Women serving in Fiji’s disciplined forces are being publicly lauded as agents of institutional change, with the government underscoring recent steps to strengthen their roles and visibility, Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran said at an International Women’s Day event in Suva last Friday.
Speaking at Albert Park, Ms Kiran praised servicewomen in the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, Fiji Police Force and Fiji Corrections Service for “resilience, sacrifice and leadership,” and recalled a milestone moment in Fiji’s history of women in uniform. “Women have been part of the military for 38 years,” she said, noting the first formal recruitment of 43 female pioneers in 1988. Today, she added, women serve across the army and navy and represent Fiji on international peacekeeping missions.
Kiran highlighted recent institutional moves to bolster gender inclusion, including expanded leadership training for servicewomen and the appointment of the military’s first Command Gender Advisor — a development she framed as evidence that gender considerations are being mainstreamed into defence and security structures. She said these concrete steps help to address barriers women face in traditionally male-dominated environments and send a signal that the disciplined forces are adapting to reflect the communities they serve.
The minister acknowledged the particular pressures that servicewomen often carry, balancing demanding operational roles with family responsibilities. “You have shown that courage has no gender, that leadership is not defined by physical strength alone, and that empathy and discipline can stand side by side,” Kiran told the gathering, stressing both the personal cost and the public value of women’s contributions to national security.
Reinforcing her point, Kiran declared: “Gender equality in our uniformed services is not a favour, it is a right.” She argued that strengthening women’s participation in disciplined services would not only improve operational capability but would also increase public trust in national institutions. “When we give women space, respect, and equal opportunity – Fiji gains strength, stability, and unity,” she said.
The minister’s address at Albert Park comes amid a broader push by government agencies to link gender equality with national development objectives. Earlier ministry work and national strategies have framed women’s empowerment as having economic as well as social benefits, and recent initiatives such as leadership training and the new gender advisory post in the military mark a continuation of that policy trajectory.
By spotlighting both historical milestones — the 1988 intake of female pioneers — and recent institutional reforms, Friday’s speech represents the latest development in an ongoing effort to normalise women’s leadership across Fiji’s security and correctional services and to inspire the next generation of women considering careers in uniform.
Leave a comment