Fijian couple attacked scared to come forward in case it happens again
A couple from Fiji are afraid to come forward after a homophobic attack over fears they will be subjected to reprisals.
The men said they had not gone to police because they feared for their lives, according to a local newspaper.
The attack occurred on Sunday morning when the two men were returning home.
“While we were walking towards the road, two teenage boys approached us, smiling,” they said.
“They made some sexually subjective comments towards us. We ignored them and continued to flag down a cab and all of a sudden one of them punched my friend.
“When he went to try and stop the attack, the same assailant pushed him to the ground.
“My lips were cut and bleeding.”
Fiji’s constitution bans discrimination of LGBT people, after being ratified in 2013.
However, its Prime Minister (pictured above) has been accused of criminal action against the community and described the thought of same-sex marriage as “rubbish”.
Ashwin Raj, the director of the Human Rights and Anti-discrimination Commission, said silence over the attack would allow for discrimination to flourish.
“The fact that our Constitution has based strong provisions on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression as a prohibited ground of discrimination means that we need to ensure that our society is free from discrimination,” he said.
These communities can live without fear, without reprisal and recrimination because they express a sexual value that is not shared by others.”
