Opposition MP Rinesh Sharma has told Parliament of a distressing case involving a 75-year-old woman who he says was allegedly forced out of her home by her son, using the incident to renew calls for stronger legal protections for elderly parents under the Family Law Act 2003.
Sharma said the woman phoned him in tears last Saturday while he was travelling to a meeting in Suva. According to the MP, the woman told him her son had persuaded her to sign documents “related to the renovation of the house” and that once the work was finished he “kicked her out” of the family home. During the call, the woman said she was at the Lautoka Bus Stand; Sharma said he was unable to reach her again after trying to contact her for about an hour.
“I tried various means to get help to her, but after one hour, I could not reach out to her. So if she is seeing this, please reach out to me. I am trying to reach out to you,” Sharma told MPs, urging any listeners or authorities who might know the woman’s whereabouts to make contact. He did not say in Parliament whether he had reported the matter to police or to social welfare agencies.
Using the case as an example, Sharma pressed for amendments to the Family Law Act 2003, arguing the law needs to be strengthened to prevent children from dispossessing their elderly parents. “That is why the call for the amendment to the Family Law Act 2003 is critical, and we should move forward with it,” he said. “No child should be in a position to take their parents out of their homes.”
Sharma’s account is the latest public example of concerns about the welfare of older Fijians and the potential for family disputes to escalate into alleged evictions. The Opposition MP’s appeal offers a concrete case for lawmakers considering reforms to family and elder protections, though details remain limited: there has been no public confirmation of the woman’s identity, current location, or whether any charges or investigations have been launched.
Parliamentarians did not provide further updates during the sitting, and no statement from the Fiji Police Force or the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection was released alongside Sharma’s remarks. Sharma has invited the woman to contact him directly and urged colleagues to support legal changes that would bolster safeguards for parents.
The MP’s intervention is likely to renew debate over how existing laws address elder abuse, property disputes and guardianship in family settings. Any formal push to amend the Family Law Act 2003 would require consultation and legislative drafting; Sharma’s comments signal the Opposition’s intent to keep the issue on the parliamentary agenda as legislators consider reforms aimed at protecting vulnerable older citizens.
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