Eyewitnesses report that Esther endured torture and verbal abuse after being forcibly taken from her home in Lautoka by a group of men and women.
This appalling incident resulted in severe internal injuries, allegedly leading to her tragic death. IPPF ESEAOR is gravely concerned by this heinous act, a blatant violation of fundamental human rights โ especially the right to life and dignity, freedom of expression, protection from discrimination, and access to fair legal processes and health services.
This underscores the critical need for enhanced protection for transgender individuals and sex workers, who are often subjected to pervasive systemic discrimination and stigma. Political and systemic structures impose multiple forms of discrimination on sex workers. These discriminatory power structures are further intensified by factors such as homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, racism, and classism. In Fiji, transgender people, particularly transgender sex workers, face high rates of sexual and gender-based violence SGBV , physical abuse, harassment, bullying, stigma, and intimidation.
Transgender women are routinely targeted by cyberbullying, with a rising trend of online hate speech. Sex workers encounter a multitude of barriers to their sexual and reproductive health and rights SRHR.
Widespread criminalisation, along with stigma and discrimination, not only infringes upon their fundamental human rightsโincluding the right to live free from violence and the right to healthโbut also restricts their access to equitable sexual and reproductive health services.
