Last month witnessed a marked rise in crimes against women and children, with incidents against women increasing by 39 percent and those against children by 9 percent.
Out of the 232 recorded cases of crimes against women, a significant 88 percent were related to assault, while 12 percent pertained to sexual offences. Notably, 31 percent of these cases were classified as domestic violence, involving a spouse or partner in the act.
The primary contributor to the surge in crimes against women was assault causing actual bodily harm, which saw 181 cases reported—a rise of 65 cases compared to the same period last year.
In the realm of crimes against children, 153 cases were documented, with 96 victims being girls and 57 boys. Of these cases, 53 percent involved sexual offences, 35 percent were related to assault, and the remaining 12 percent concerned other offences.
The Fiji Police Force indicated that the rise in crimes against children was chiefly driven by an increase in assault causing actual bodily harm, which escalated from 25 to 45 cases.