Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran expressed that the statistics on child sexual abuse should be a source of national shame for Fiji. Her comments came during her end-of-week statement in Parliament on Friday.
Ms. Kiran presented recent data from the Fiji Police Force covering child sexual abuse cases reported between 2021 and 2023, including the first half of 2024. In 2021, there were 729 cases, which increased to 1,034 in 2022, followed by a decline to 844 cases in 2023. In the first half of 2024, 324 cases have been reported so far.
She highlighted that rape remains the most common offense against children in Fiji. Breaking down this year’s figures, of the 324 cases reported, 215 involved children aged 13 to 17, 94 involved those aged 6 to 12, and 15 were infants aged 0 to 5. Specifically, there were 104 cases of rape, 71 cases of indecent assault, and 60 cases of sexual assault, with females representing the vast majority of victims, totaling 297.
Despite a declining trend in overall numbers, Ms. Kiran emphasized that these statistics do not fully capture the issue’s gravity, urging that they should prompt national introspection. She called on all Fijians to confront the serious problems of child sexual and domestic abuse, noting that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions releases alarming data indicating daily failures in protecting children.
Highlighting the severity of the situation, she noted that the average age of the youngest child victim of sexual abuse over the past six years is just two years old, with the youngest reported victim being six months old. UNICEF data indicates that five out of every six children in Fiji experience abuse or neglect from their families, underscoring the need for serious action on these matters.