Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran expressed that the statistics on child sexual abuse should be a matter of national shame for Fiji. Speaking in Parliament on Friday, she shared the latest figures from the Fiji Police Force regarding child sexual abuse cases reported from 2021 to the first half of 2024.
The data indicated a total of 729 cases in 2021, which rose to 1,034 cases in 2022, before decreasing to 844 cases in 2023. In just the first six months of this year, there have already been 324 reported cases. Kiran highlighted that rape remains the most common crime against children in the country.
In the breakdown of cases reported this year, the age group of 13 to 17 years accounted for the highest number of incidents at 215 cases. This was followed by 94 cases involving children aged 6 to 12 years and 15 cases concerning infants aged 0 to 5 years. Specific offenses included 104 cases of rape, 71 incidents of indecent assault, and 60 cases classified as sexual assault. Notably, females comprised the majority of victims, totaling 297.
Despite a slight decline in overall numbers, Kiran emphasized that raw statistics fail to capture the severity of the issue and called for national reflection. She urged all Fijians to address the pervasive issues of child sexual abuse and domestic violence, noting that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions regularly releases alarming data reflecting ongoing failures to protect children. Disturbingly, the average age of the youngest victim over the past six years has been just two years old, with the youngest recorded victim being only six months old. UNICEF statistics show that five out of every six children in Fiji experience some form of abuse or neglect within their families. Kiran stressed the importance of taking these issues seriously.