Suva, Fiji –Thirty senior police officers participated in a two-day interactive human rights training that was organized by the Office of the High Commission on Human Rights (OHCHR) Regional Office for the Pacific in partnership with UN Women Fiji Multi Country Office, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Fiji Women Crisis Centre and Ministry of Women of Fiji, on 28-29 April 2022 at the Tanoa Hotel in Suva.

The participatory training aimed to strengthen knowledge on international human rights law and raising continued awareness on the need to advance recommendations under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) for the Fiji Police Force. In doing so, the training sought to progress with the operationalisation of the Human Rights Cell that will be specifically tasked with investigating complaints of human rights violations against police officers and making recommendations to the Police Commissioner for appropriate action.

In addition, the training also provided an opportunity to engage with participants on enhancing policing towards the prevention of violence against women and girls and provide strategic feedback towards the national action plan on eliminating gender-based violence.

OHCHR Human Rights Advisor, Ms. Releshni Karan during her presentation said “The proposed Human Rights Cell is a specialised group of police officers who will be responsible for investigation and dealing with alleged human rights abuses and violations by police officers. It is proposed to be established in the Department of Internal Affairs at the Fiji Police Force Headquarters and is designed to strengthen the current processes of management, reporting, investigation and prosecution of violations by police officers through a human rights lens.” During the training, OHCHR conducted consultations with the senior offices on the proposed Terms of Reference of the Human Rights Cell.

Fiji Police Commissioner Brigadier General Sitiveni Qiliho said in his welcoming remarks, “The Fiji Police Force is committed to strengthening the management, reporting, investigation and prosecution of breaches of human rights by Police Officers. Our ability to better ourselves and our services is further enhanced through the support of our partners through trainings such as this, supported by the Office of the Human Rights Regional Office for the Pacific, UN Women Pacific, Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre and the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation”.

Brigadier General Qiliho added, “While the global pandemic had somewhat impacted our ability to work on the recommendations from the 3^rd Cycle of UPR of Fiji, I can assure our partners that it did not diminish the sense of urgency from our end. Through the support of key justice stakeholders such as the DPP, Legal Aid Commission, Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission, UNDP, and many other private, public, regional and international partners, we have adopted proactive measures to ensure compliance to human rights standards”.

The development of the Human Rights Cell and improvement of other mechanisms to respect, protect and promote human rights aims to respond to the areas addressed in the Recommendations made by the United Nations Member States during the 3^rd cycle UPR of Fiji at the Human Rights Council in November 2019.

OHCHR Regional Office for the Pacific Regional Representative Heike Alefsen said in her opening remarks, “There has been increased scrutiny on use of excessive force and misuse of power by police officers and there is a pressing need for preserving human rights and dignity within the force. Whenever the violations are reported against the police, that affects the overall police image and rescinds one’s faith in policing. Police officers all too often consider human rights an obstacle to, rather than the foundation of, their work. This mindset needs to change. The Police are meant to be the protectors of human rights. The Human Rights Cell within the Internal Affairs is needed to improve investigations processes, complaints management and increase professionalism of the Fiji Police.”

Another important topic, the prevention of violence against women and girls brought participants together to discuss how the police officers could effectively play its role. The sessions were guided by the Fiji National Action Plan to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls (2021-2026) facilitated by the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation and UN Women. Fiji is the first Pacific Island Country and one of the only two countries globally along with Australia, to have a whole of government, evidence-based inclusive approach to prevent violence against women and girls. The National Action Plan to Prevent Violence against Women and Girls is a costed five-year plan (2021-2026) with an emphasis on stopping violence before it starts.

The Fiji National Action Plan engages 13 key settings across Fiji including: Education; Universities, Technical and Vocational Colleges; Workplaces and corporations; Sports and Recreational Spaces; Arts; Health and Social Services; Faith-based contexts; Media, advertising and entertainment; Public spaces, transport and infrastructure; Legal, justice and corrections; Informal Sector; Disciplined forces; Traditional Institutions and Entities.

The participants received an update of the progress in the development of human rights mechanisms in the Force, the Video Recorded Interviewing (VRI) and protection of witnesses and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. The initiative has been implemented by the Fiji Police Force in partnership with UNDP through New Zealand funded Fiji Police Force Support project.

Rustam Pulatov, Project Manager for the UNDP Fiji Police Force Support Project, said, “VRI equipment is a tool for both policing and the protection of human rights. VRI equipment will strengthen various areas of human rights such as prevention of torture and ill treatment by ensuring that interviews with an accused person are recorded. The specialized equipment is a step in the right direction to streamlining policing with the recorded interviews being made available as evidence in Court. UNDP will continue to work closely with the Fiji Police Force to strengthen early access to justice by providing special training programmes for investigators and transcribers who use the equipment.”

The two-day participatory human rights training aimed to contribute to strengthening professionalism among the senior police officers through respecting human rights in a systematic way, which is expected to enhance Force’s effectiveness in solving and preventing crimes and maintaining public order.

For media queries, please contact:

Releshni Karan, National Legal Adviser for the Pacific, Office of the High Commission on Human Rights (OHCHR) Regional Office for the Pacific | Email: releshni.karan@un.org