Pregnancy does not stop a woman from experiencing violence at the hands of her husband or partner, a national survey in Fiji has revealed.

The first major survey conducted by the Fiji Women's Crisis Center in the country showed 3,193 women between 18 and 64 years who were interviewed indicated that 15 percent, or 479, were physically assaulted during pregnancy by their spouse or partner.

The survey was carried out between 2010 and 2011 with the survey sample provided by the Fijian government's Bureau of Statistics.

Edwina Kotoisuva, deputy coordinator of the Fiji Women's Crisis Center, said out of the 3,193 women interviewed, one in three pregnant women were severely abused which included being hit or kicked in the stomach.

The survey, which was carried out using the World Health Organization methodology, showed that violence against women cut across all aspects of their lives but with some groups more at risk than others, Kotoisuva said.

"The consequences of violence against women on their reproductive health and children were laid bare in the survey," said Kotoisuva, quoted by the Fiji Times newspaper reported Saturday.

"Women who experienced physical or sexual violence were more likely to have a miscarriage than those who have not experienced violence."

Of the children whose mothers experienced physical violence, she said, more than half of the interviewed number or 54.8 percent had seen or heard their mother being assaulted.

"Violence against women was also found to have a range of negative impacts on children and their schooling," said Kotoisuva.

The survey found that most women bore the violence they experienced in silence, and did not reach out for help.

"Almost half of all the women living with a partner had never told anybody about the violence and almost four out of five women had never sought help from any agency to deal with it," Kotoisuva said, adding that less than one in five women went to police or health centers and hospitals for help.

In November, people in Fiji showed support towards increasing the awareness of violence against women and children after the government confirmed the implementation of its 16 Days of Activism Campaign.

A statement from the Ministry of Information has said the campaign provided various activities for women across the country. Endi

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