Sakiasi Ditoka says centres are often crowded in the aftermath of disasters. Photo: Fiji Parliament.
Fiji’s Ministry for Rural, Maritime Development and Disaster Management has appealed for public support to stop incidents of violence and sexual offences taking place in the nation’s evacuation centres.
Minister in charge, Sakiasi Ditoka, said the safety of women and children was a priority in the centres, which were often crowded in the aftermath of disasters such as cyclones.
“That’s something we continue to do. It is a work in progress. We can’t say that this is done 100 per cent at the moment and all we are trying to make sure is that all the evacuation centres are retrofitted and are strong enough to be able to withstand cyclones,” Mr Ditoka said.
“The next stage is to make sure all the boxes are ticked, including looking after the women and children.”
Mr Ditoka said another important issue was ensuring that evacuation centres met the needs of those with disabilities and making sure this was tied to disaster management programs.
“As regards these allegations of violence and sexual offences, all we can do at present is to work with village headmen to boost awareness. We want to make sure that there is awareness that these types of things can happen.”
There are more than 1000 evacuation centres in the Ministry’s database, which is updated by provincial administrators and district officers before each cyclone season that usually occurs in Fiji between November and April.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Local Government has announced the opening of the $1.5 million Ratu Sukuna Park redevelopment project in the centre of Suva has been postponed from October to December.
Minister Maciu Nalumisa said the delay had been caused by unfavourable weather.
“We’re hopeful that before Christmas, we should be able to open it. The podium is close to 90 per cent complete and all the civil works have been done,” Mr Nalumisa said.
The Ratu Sukuna Park facelift was launched in November 2020 by former minister Premila Kumar but has been dogged by delays ever since.
Suva, 5 November 2023
