Seven men are in police custody awaiting charges for allegedly raping a 19 year old girl in Sigatoka on Christmas night.

Sigatoka Police confirm that the victim was returning home, when the men grabbed her and took her to an isolated area where they allegedly raped the girl.

Police say a passerby saw the girl lying naked in a drain the next morning and assisted her. The seven were then arrested and are expected to be charged later today.

Meanwhile, with the increased number of rape cases surfacing over the last week, the Fiji Women's Crises Center said men nowadays do not respect women and this is why there has been an increase in rape cases.

Center Coordinator Shamima Ali said apart from other contributing factors, gender inequality is one of the key reasons of increase on these kinds of crime.