The Assistant Minister for Women, Children, and Social Protection, Sashi Kiran, expressed that the child sexual abuse statistics in Fiji are a national disgrace. In her end-of-week statement delivered in Parliament on Friday, she presented recent data from the Fiji Police Force concerning child sexual abuse incidents reported from 2021 to mid-2024.
According to the figures, 729 cases were documented in 2021, which rose to 1,034 in 2022 before decreasing to 844 in 2023. In the first half of 2024, there have already been 324 cases reported. Kiran indicated that rape remains the most commonly reported offense against children in the country.
Analyzing the data from this year, the age breakdown of the 324 reported cases reveals that the bulk of victims are aged 13-17, totaling 215, followed by 94 cases involving children aged 6-12, and 15 cases concerning infants aged 0-5. The offenses included 104 reported rapes, 71 cases of indecent assault, and 60 instances of sexual assault. The majority of victims, accounting for 297, are girls.
Despite a slight decline in reported cases, Kiran emphasized that these statistics should compel the nation to reflect on the disturbing reality. She urged all Fijians to address the issues of child sexual abuse and domestic violence actively, highlighting the alarming consistency in the data released by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, which underscores the societal failure to protect children.
Additionally, she noted that over the last six years, the youngest victim of child sexual abuse has been just two years old, with the youngest recorded being six months old. UNICEF statistics indicate that five out of every six children in Fiji experience abuse or neglect within their families. Kiran stressed the urgent need for the nation to confront these serious issues.