This study, which identifies the impacts of domestic and sexual violence on Fijian employees and employers, has been conducted to inform the development of tailored solutions for the business community in Fiji. The study is part of an ongoing IFC initiative to develop workplace responses to domestic and sexual violence in the Pacific, which supports employees experiencing violence and reduces impacts on the workplace.
Fiji has one of the highest rates of domestic and sexual violence in the world with almost two-thirds of the country's women experiencing domestic or sexual violence during their lifetime. This has serious negative impacts on individuals, families, communities, and workplaces. For the three companies included in this study, the high rates of domestic and sexual violence translate into lost staff time and reduced productivity that is equivalent to almost 10 days of lost work per employee each year.
This study includes three private sector companies, collectively employing 1,701 employees as of December 2018. The companies were selected to ensure sector diversity and based on their commitment to supporting staff affected by domestic and sexual violence. A total of 563 staff completed the staff survey, representing 33 percent of all employees. The study also included individual and group interviews involving 43 women and 43 men in both supervisory and non-supervisory roles.
