Digital Harm in the Pacific

Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) is an increasingly recognised global problem, yet there remains limited understanding of this form of violence within Pacific Island countries, with the Indo-Pacific evidence base primarily concentrated in Australia and New Zealand. Fiji, a culturally diverse Pacific Island nation of fewer than one million people, is comprised primarily of Indigenous (iTaukei) Fijians, Indo-Fijians and other minority communities. Fiji experiences some of the highest rates of violence against women globally, with recent research indicating that more than one-fifth of Fijian women have experienced technology-facilitated sexual violence. Drawing on in-person focus groups and in-depth interviews with young Fijians, this open access Pivot examines how young people engage with digital technologies, both positively and negatively, including how they experience, engage in and witness TFGBV. In doing so, it provides one of the first in-depth examinations of TFGBV in a Pacific Island context, extending existing knowledge beyond predominantly Western settings and contributing new insights to the growing field of TFGBV research. The Pivot will be of interest to scholars, students, practitioners, policymakers and others seeking to better understand the intersections of technology, gender and violence in the Pacific region.