More than 150 delegates and almost 80 speakers from 12 countries will gather in Fiji for a three-day international symposium focused on translating research into real-world impact.
Fiji, November - Leading researchers, practitioners and partners from Australia and across the Indo-Pacific will gather in Fiji this November as the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEVAW) hosts its 2026 International Symposium, From Evidence to Action alongside partners, Fiji Women's Rights Movement and the University of the South Pacific.
Violence against women is a global crisis. Nearly one in three women globally have experienced physical and/or sexual violence perpetrated by an intimate partner during their lifetime. In the Pacific Islands, the prevalence of intimate partner violence is more than double the global average with nearly two in three ever-partnered women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from a male intimate partner while one in three experienced marital rape in Fiji.
CEVAW Director, Professor Jacqui True, noted that more than one in five women have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are killed at rates up to six times higher than non-Indigenous women, largely by intimate partners (76 per cent).
"Domestic and family violence continues to be widespread across Australia, with highly prevalent new forms of violence such as online misogyny and technology-facilitated gender-based harm, including that targeted at women in the public sphere," said Distinguished Professor True.
"The Symposium recognises that the epidemic of violence against women is not isolated to Australia, and that we can learn a great deal from our regional partners on how to prevent and respond to violence against women in ways that are sensitive to local and cultural contexts."
CEVAW's symposium will bring together more than 150 delegates, 80 speakers and representatives from 23 partner organisations across 12 countries to examine the societal and institutional drivers that cause and compound violence against women. By sharing research and evidence-based approaches, the symposium aims to enhance policy and practice to address violence against women across Australia and the Indo-Pacific through Indigenous, interdisciplinary and Indo-Pacific collaborations.
Nalini Signh, Executive Director of Fiji Women's Rights Movement (FWRM), said co-hosting the CEVAW Symposium in Fiji will place Pacific women's experiences, perspectives and knowledge at the centre of regional and international conversations. Currently, Fiji is implementing its first National Action Plan to Prevent Violence Against All Women and Girls (2023-2028), which commits all Fijians, communities and institutions to a decade of transformative and ambitious action to end violence against women and girls.
"In Fiji and the Pacific, where there is high prevalence of violence against women, the urgency of translating evidence into effective policies, prevention strategies and institutional change cannot be overstated," Ms Singh said.
"Fiji Women's Rights Movement shares CEVAW's commitment to using evidence-based approaches to radically improve policy and practice across the Indo-Pacific and Australia.
"We welcome this opportunity to strengthen collaborations, amplify locally grounded research and ensure that the evidence we generate translates into tangible actions that challenge the structures perpetuating violence in our Pacific communities."
Dr Annie Crookes from the University of the South Pacific said that CEVAW's collaboration with the Pacific community was helping to build a deeper understanding of violence against women in Fiji and other Pacific Island countries.
"By combining academic research with local knowledge, we can build more effective policy and prevention strategies for violence against women and girls," she said.
The Symposium will provide opportunities for peer learning, mentoring, collaboration and research leadership, strengthening connections and research capability across CEVAW's Indo-Pacific network.
An important outcome of the Symposium will be the Statement of Action, capturing the priorities and commitments of delegates, emerging from conversations across the three days on how research evidence can drive the social and institutional change needed to positively impact the lives of women and girls.
CEVAW's 2026 International Symposium will be hosted in Fiji, 18-20 November.
