Where Are Our By-Laws? Community Innovation and Lost Opportunities in Urban Fiji

Jittu Estate is one of Suva’s oldest and largest informal settlements with population estimates ranging from 3,500 to 10,000, the higher figure being offered by community leaders and officials that we spoke with. Despite congested living conditions and challenges around basic utilities, the settlement’s central location makes it an attractive destination for low-income households and recent migrants to the nation’s capital. Over the years, the settlement acquired a reputation for social order problems including disorderly conduct, family violence (Khan 2010) and petty crime. It has also been seen as a haven for stolen goods and, more recently, drug dealing and abuse. As a result, the police classified Jittu Estate as a ‘Red Zone’, denoting a high crime area. This reputation followed residents when they ventured outside the community, such that they were often the first to be blamed when something went missing.