SOGIESC training with the Fiji Police Force

As part of DIVA’s ongoing work on feminist systems change by and for Pacific islanders with diverse SOGIESC, in  2018-2019 we provided three training sessions to 100+ cadets per session for all Cadet intakes of the Fiji Police Force Academy, in partnership with OHCR Pacific office. We then provided a session at the trainers of trainers for mid-level members of the Fiji Police Force in late 2019. That training included over key Police force personnel led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police in Policy & Projects, Director Training and Education & Director Internal Affairs. In the latter quarters of 2021, after a break in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID19 and due to cyclone-related issues, we are resuming SOGIESC and Human Rights Training sessions with all main Fiji Police Force Stations front-line Officers, as agreed during our participation in the Fiji Police Force Community Policing Strategy Meeting in early 2021. We have also had specific requests from Police in Central and Eastern divisions for further SOGIESC and Human Rights sessions, and are working actively on problem-solving strategies for gender based violence in informal settlements, and work directly at highest levels with Fiji Police now, on assistance for LGBTQI+ people. We also combine this with a documentation project with the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission. All incidents of LGBTQI violence are immediately reported to the Commission, and they have an Urgent-action frontline response, as well as Fiji Police. This innovative approach has led to over 10 cases in 2020-21 that have had concrete action and arrests, to sexual and gender based violence calls by LGBTQI people in Fiji. We are now working with FWCC on their Frontline counselling response to LGBTQI people on national EVAWG 1560 hotline, have trained all new FWCC counsellors on SOGIESC, and are aiming to do similar with the National Child Help Hotline 1325 in 2022.