The Government of Fiji is working to establish the nation’s first Child Wellbeing Centre. Lynda Tabuya, the Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, announced that this initiative is backed by the government budget.
The centre aims to include clinical services to assist children struggling with drug addiction. Ms. Tabuya emphasized the importance of reintegrating these children into their families and communities. She highlighted that many children turn to the streets when their families cannot support them in overcoming their drug-related challenges.
“Children dealing with drugs often feel they pose a threat to their own families due to their behavior, which can lead them to leave home,” she remarked. While on the streets, access to drugs becomes easier.
The program at the Child Wellbeing Centre is designed to remove children from the streets, with family consent, to facilitate their rehabilitation and eventual reintegration into their homes. The rehabilitation program is planned to last for a year.
Ms. Tabuya expressed gratitude towards Inspire Pacific, an NGO that has been collaborating with the government to rehabilitate juvenile offenders. She acknowledged that drug abuse is a widespread issue, not just in Fiji but globally.
“Fiji is a transit point for drugs,” she noted, explaining that the substances sold locally are unaffordable for the country. Fiji serves as a pathway for drugs intended for larger developed nations nearby.