Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran expressed that the data on child sexual abuse should be a point of shame for Fiji. During her address in Parliament on Friday, she highlighted recent statistics from the Fiji Police Force concerning reported cases of child sexual abuse from 2021 to mid-2024.
In 2021, there were 729 reported cases, which increased to 1,034 in 2022 before declining to 844 in 2023. In the first half of 2024 alone, there have been 324 reported cases. Kiran pointed out that rape remains the most common crime against children in the country.
For the cases reported this year, the breakdown is as follows:
– Ages 13-17: 215 cases
– Ages 6-12: 94 cases
– Ages 0-5: 15 cases
Of the 324 cases reported, there were 104 incidents of rape, 71 cases of indecent assault, and 60 cases of sexual assault. The majority of victims, 297, were female.
Despite a slight decline in overall numbers, Kiran emphasized that these statistics reflect a grim reality that demands reflection and action from the nation. She urged all Fijians to address the critical issue of child sexual and domestic abuse. Monthly data from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) underscores the ongoing failures to protect children, noting that the average age of the youngest child victim in the last six years is just two years old, with the youngest victim being six months old. UNICEF has reported that five out of six children in Fiji experience abuse or neglect within their families.
Kiran called for serious action on these alarming issues.