Media Release: IPPF and Includovate launch the results of a qualitative research study on sexual and reproductive health and rights in Fiji

Suva, Fiji – As the world observes the annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, IPPF Sub-Regional Office for the Pacific (SROP) and Includovate Pty Ltd are launching the results of a qualitative research study on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Fiji at the Novotel, Queens Road, Lami Bay, Suva.

The study titled “How religious, cultural, and traditional practices influence access to sexual and reproductive health and rights in Fiji” used a community-based participatory research approach to explore the factors that impact access to SRHR in Fiji. It centers the voices and experiences of youth, women, sex workers, and people with disabilities across six communities in urban, peri-urban, rural and maritime areas. 

The study reveals the powerful ways in which intersecting social norms, faith teachings, and harmful gendered traditions reinforce silence, stigma, and exclusion, while also identifying pathways for positive change grounded in lived realities and experiences of emerging community champions. It provides data-driven direction for policy and programming to advance SRHR in Fiji.

It also highlights the innovative strategies used by women leaders, peer educators, and allies who are creating safer spaces for SRHR education, autonomy, and advocacy. The recommendations reflect the realities of Fiji’s evolving social landscape, offering pragmatic, locally led solutions to longstanding SRHR challenges and identifying opportunities for policymakers, advocates, and donors to support and scale ongoing efforts.

Key messages from the research findings include

• Advancing SRHR reform strengthens families, builds safer communities, and drives national economic growth.
• Failure to act perpetuates cycles of violence, illness, exclusion, and intergenerational poverty, leaving teenagers alone to struggle with silence, stigma, and shame.
• Fiji already has local champions and effective, home-grown solutions—what’s needed is greater support and sustained investment.
• Timely SRHR reforms will yield measurable improvements in health, social well-being, and economic prosperity.
• By embracing rights-based, culturally grounded SRHR policies, Fiji can position itself as a regional leader and role model.

This research report was made possible by a grant from the Pacific Women Lead, and was co-funded under the IPPF Pacific Niu Vaka Phase II strategy through the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). Includovate led the research with oversight from the IPPF Sub-Regional Office for the Pacific.

For media enquiries or further information, please contact [email protected]