ICAAD in partnership with The Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM) organised the first ever train the trainers workshop to raise awareness on combating sexual harassment in the workplace. The training targeted key stakeholders and agencies to strengthen implementation of laws and policies.
The 3-day training workshop was supported by the Australian Government, United States Embassy in Fiji, and implemented through the We Rise Coalition. It was especially timely as it coincided with the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence, with Nov. 25th marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and December 10th marking Human Rights Day. The training was held from Nov. 27- 29, 2017 at Victoria Palms Hotel in Suva, Fiji.
The training included participants from FWRM, Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre, Medical Services Pacific, Empower Pacific, Ministry of Employment Productivity and Industrial Relations, and the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission.
The toolkit was developed by ICAAD and partner law firm Manatt, Phelps, and Phillips with both input and support from FWRM. Commenting on the workshop, ICAAD Co-Founder Jaspreet Singh said, “We are thrilled to have diverse participation ranging from government ministries to CSOs. The work we’ve done here will live on through the participants who will train employers throughout Fiji by providing them the tools needed to combat sexual harassment.”
One of the key findings that led to this training was that 82% of sexual harassment cases go unreported. “There’s an urgent need for awareness and training, to ensure that staff and workers know about the workplace policy and how to seek redress if they’ve been a victim/survivor of sexual harassment,” said Ms. Waqavonovono, Board Chair of FWRM. In the future, FWRM hopes to engage with other private sector organisations and stakeholders who have shown interest in the training. It will be an opportunity to utilise the training skills they’ve gained through this TOT [Training of Trainers] to promote safe workplaces.”
Thank you to the following partners:
Hon. Judith Beth Cefkin, U.S. Ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu recognized ICAAD and FWRM for the training program in her speech at Fiji National University on combating violence against women in the region.
