Acting Permanent Secretary for Women Selina Kuruleca told delegates at the United Nations’ 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York that Fiji has strengthened laws to protect women but persistent barriers continue to block access to justice. Addressing this year’s theme — strengthening justice access for women and girls — Kuruleca singled out distance, the cost of pursuing claims and a lack of legal awareness as the main obstacles that keep many women from seeking redress.
Kuruleca used the global platform to underline the link between justice and national development, saying improved access to courts and services is essential not only for individual rights but for broader social and economic progress. She highlighted Fiji’s multi-pronged approach, including expanded legal aid and intensified community outreach, and reiterated the government’s commitment to its National Action Plan to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls 2023–2028 as the framework guiding these efforts.
She also raised the growing problem of Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence. According to the Online Safety Commission, women accounted for nearly 60 percent of complainants in such cases in 2025 — a figure Kuruleca cited as evidence of a rising tide of online abuse against women and girls. That trend has sharpened calls at home for clearer laws and stronger enforcement, and has become a focal point for Fiji’s representation at the commission.
Fiji’s concerns about online safety have been echoed by national officials and rights advocates in recent months. Online Safety Commissioner Filipe Batiwale has warned that gaps and ambiguities in existing legislation make prosecutions difficult, particularly around subjective concepts such as “serious emotional distress.” High-profile incidents — including a 2025 TikTok livestream case that led to criminal charges under electronic communication offences — have tested the reach and effectiveness of the current legal framework and illustrated the practical challenges victims face when seeking justice.
Kuruleca told the UN audience that tackling those hurdles will require coordinated domestic reforms and international cooperation. Beyond legal aid and awareness programs, she said Fiji is pursuing measures that bring services closer to remote communities to address the geographic and financial barriers women face. Community-level interventions, she argued, are critical to ensure vulnerable women — including those in rural areas — can access support and protection.
The appearance at CSW70 gives Fiji an opportunity to both report progress and seek technical and financial partnerships that could accelerate reforms. For advocates following the issue, the new 2025 complaint statistics and Fiji’s recommitment to the National Action Plan mark a turning point: they make the case for urgent legislative review and for scaling up accessible, locally rooted justice services so that legal protections translate into real-world outcomes for women and girls.
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