Impact of the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre’s Male Advocacy for Women’s Human Rights Programme

5 Dec, 2025

Suva, Fiji – The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre (FWCC) has achieved a major milestone in its long-running Male Advocacy for Women’s Human Rights Programme, with 100 men completing gender-transformative training across the provinces of Rewa and Cakaudrove this year. The Centre says the growing interest in the programme reflects a broader recognition across Fiji that preventing violence against women and girls require men to confront harmful gender norms, question entrenched beliefs about masculinity and take responsibility for shifting their own behaviours.

Established in 2002, FWCC’s Male Advocacy for Women’s Human Rights programme is a Pacific-designed initiative grounded in feminist principles and accountability to women. The programme does not begin with men; instead FWCC first consults women in each community to ensure their concerns, safety and priorities lead the process. Only after these consultations does training begin with men. Over a week of intensive engagement, participants examine the root cause of violence, power and control, patriarchy, socialization, rape myths and victim-blaming, along with discussions on respect, equality, shared responsibility and ethical support of survivors. The model mirrors international best practice, including the Warwick Principles released in 2019, which emphasize that male engagement in violence prevention must remain accountable to women and aligned with human rights.

Assessments from the 2025 training cycle show promising signs of behavioural change among participants. Women in participating villages have reported that their partners are sharing household tasks, improving communication with families, and becoming more mindful of women’s responsibilities and pressures. Some men have begun to challenge sexist jokes and harmful peer behaviour, while others have made visible changes in their homes. In one case, a male participant in Rewa now accompanies his wife on her fishing trips and prepares dinner for her return, demonstrating a tangible shift in how he understands partnership and care.

FWCC Coordinator Shamima Ali says these changes reflect the deeper purpose of the programme. “We are seeing men reflect deeply on their roles and take genuine steps to change their behaviour. Prevention is possible when men listen to women, respect women’s rights, and commit to building homes and communities grounded in equality and non-violence”

The programme also integrates mental health and emotional well-being, recognizing that harmful ideas about masculinity often prevent men from expressing vulnerability or seeking help. FWCC says normalizing help-seeking and building spaces where men can reflect without judgement is a necessary step-in long-term prevention.

FWCC’s Male Advocacy for Women’s Human Rights Programme has been recognized regionally and internationally as a leading Pacific model for gender-transformative prevention. Global research has shown that ethical, feminist -aligned engagement with men can reduce intimate partner violence and promote healthier relationships within families and communities. FWCC, which also leads the Pacific Women’s Network Against Violence Against Women, has seen firsthand how contextualized evidence-based training can shift attitudes and transform behaviours over time.

FWCC is calling on government agencies, provincial authorities, traditional and youth leaders, religious groups and development partners to strengthen and expand evidence-based male-engagement initiatives as part of national violence-prevention strategies — without diverting or reducing funding for women’s rights organisations and essential services. FWCC also encourages men across Fiji to take active roles in promoting gender equality, challenge harmful norms, and modelling respectful behaviour in their homes and communities. We urge people to reach out to FWCC for opportunities to undergo this training.

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Email: fwcc.shamima@gmail.com
Website: fijiwomen.com