Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran expressed that the sexual abuse statistics concerning children are a source of shame for Fiji as a nation. She made these comments while delivering her weekly statement in Parliament on Friday.
Ms. Kiran presented recent data from the Fiji Police Force regarding child sexual abuse cases reported from 2021 to 2023, including the first half of 2024. She noted that in 2021, there were 729 reported cases. This number rose to 1,034 in 2022 but then decreased to 844 in 2023. In the first six months of 2024, there have already been 324 cases reported.
She highlighted that rape remains the most common form of abuse against children in Fiji. Of the 324 cases reported this year, 215 involved children aged 13 to 17 years, 94 cases involved children aged 6 to 12 years, and 15 cases involved infants aged 0 to 5 years.
The data indicates that among these cases, there were 104 incidents of rape, 71 cases of indecent assault, and 60 cases of sexual assault. The overwhelming majority of the victims, totaling 297, were female.
Despite a decline in the number of cases, Ms. Kiran emphasized that the statistics are still alarming. She urged all Fijians to actively address the issues of child sexual abuse and domestic violence. She noted that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions regularly releases distressing data, revealing that the nation is failing to protect its children.
Additionally, the average age of the youngest victim of child sexual abuse over the past six years is just two years old, with the youngest recorded victim being only six months old. According to UNICEF, five out of every six children in Fiji experience abuse or neglect from their families. Ms. Kiran stressed the necessity of taking this situation seriously.