FIJI HUMAN RIGHTS & ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMISSION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 14 Directors Report The 2018 Annual Report documents the strides made by the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission towards the protection, promotion and preservation of human rights in a year that was transformative for all Fijians. Not only did a total of 637,527 eligible voters exercise their constitutional right to political participation in yet another peaceful transition into parliamentary democracy, Fiji also secured a seat and subsequently assumed the VicePresidency of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Fiji’s membership will no doubt strengthen the fabric of the United Nations Human Rights Council be lending the voice, aspirations and human rights challenges of the Pacific Small Island Developing States. Fiji’s membership will also keep the State on a sustained path of human rights engendering a greater ethos of accountability towards fulfilling its obligations of protecting fundamental rights and freedoms of all in Fiji regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, colour or creed amongst other prohibited grounds of discrimination. 2018 was also a year of many firsts for the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission too. The Commission, for the first time, monitored the pre-electoral and post-electoral processes to ensure that minimum human rights standards were observed during the general election. The Commission launched a brochure to educate the voters on the features of free and fair elections, minimum human rights standards and rights of a voter under the Fijian Constitution which was widely disseminated across the country including maritime areas. These brochures were available in English, Itaukei, Hindi, Rotuman, Banaban and Chinese languages. The Commission issued media statements, reiterating that right to vote was an expression of the will of the individual as recognised in the Fijian Constitution and must be exercised without fear of reprisal and recrimination. Fijians were also encouraged to report hate speech and incidents of racial and religious vilification in communities and on social media platforms to the Commission during the election process. The Commission also welcomed the modification of the procedures set out in section 57 of the Electoral Act pertaining to voting by persons with disabilities. While the 2013 Constitution goes beyond the 1997 Constitution in including sexual orientation, gender identity and expression as prohibited grounds of discrimination, the national human rights commission had never convened any public consultations with the LGBTI community. A two-day national consultation was held in collaboration with the Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions (APF) engaging LGBTQI groups and individuals to ascertain key challenges faced by them in their daily lives and to draft a plan of action based on the outcome of the discussions. The Commission’s education and advocacy team traveled to remote and maritime areas as well as to informal settlements and cane-belt areas as well as civil society organisations, reaching out to 19,971 people to create awareness on human rights. The Commission independently investigated allegations of human rights violations including the constitutional right to life, personal liberty, freedom from slavery, servitude, forced labour and human trafficking, cruel and degrading treatment, security and freedom from violence and professional misconduct, inter alia police and corrections brutality and professional misconduct, right of attested and detained persons, executive and administrative justice. employment relations, freedom of movement and residence, freedom of religion, conscience and belief, right to privacy, equality and freedom from discrimination, protection of ownership and interests in land, right to reasonable access to transportation, housing and sanitation, adequate food and water, right to social security schemes and health, freedom from arbitrary evictions, rights of children and the rights of persons with disabilities. The Commission also filed a constitutional redress application at the Suva High Court in relation to the death of a 26 year-old male who was allegedly assaulted by police. A FJD$250,000.00 funding was also secured under the Pacific Commonwealth Equality Project funded by the UK Government to build a complaints management system for the Commission. This system will enhance accountability, transparency and establish National Reporting Mechanism for reporting on human rights violations. The Commission made submissions to respective Parliamentary Standing Committees on existing and proposed laws that explicitly affect human rights. These included the Registration of Sex Offenders Bill,