The Fiji Police Force is urging victims of alleged sexual offenses to file reports with law enforcement. Assistant Commissioner of Police Operations, Livai Driu, made this statement while confirming that no complaints had been submitted regarding a senior government official who has since stepped down.
Driu emphasized the importance of reporting, stating, “I think people should lodge their complaint with the police and until then we cannot do anything.” The allegations against the official were initially brought to light during a media interview with Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka last month.
In response to the situation, the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre and the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement issued a joint statement yesterday, demanding that Prime Minister Rabuka and the government retract the former official’s nomination for a diplomatic position. FWCC coordinator Shamima Ali remarked, “Without questioning the fundamental right to the presumption of innocence, the nomination of a man accused of sexual harassment reminds us how sexual violence is normalized and minimized, even at the highest levels of the state where perpetrators continue to be rewarded.”
Questions directed to Mr. Rabuka, who is currently in New Zealand, have yet to receive a response.