Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Sashi Kiran, expressed that the data on child sexual abuse is a matter of shame for Fiji as a nation. She made this statement during her end-of-week address in Parliament on Friday.
Ms. Kiran presented the most recent statistics from the Fiji Police Force regarding reported cases of child sexual abuse from 2021 to 2023, with figures extending into early 2024. She noted that in 2021, there were 729 reported cases, which rose to 1,034 in 2022 before declining to 844 cases in 2023. For the first half of 2024, there have already been 324 reported cases.
She highlighted that rape is the most common offense against children in Fiji. Breaking down the data for this year, of the reported 324 cases, 215 involved children aged 13 to 17, 94 involved those aged 6 to 12, and 15 involved infants aged 0 to 5 years. Specifically, there were 104 cases of rape, 71 cases of indecent assault, and 60 cases of sexual assault. The vast majority of victims, accounting for 297 cases, were female.
Despite a decrease in overall cases, Ms. Kiran emphasized that these numbers are indicative of a deeper societal issue that warrants serious reflection. She urged all Fijians to tackle the problems of child sexual abuse and domestic violence head-on, noting that each month, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) releases alarming statistics that reveal ongoing failures to protect children.
Furthermore, she highlighted that in the past six years, the average age of the youngest victim of child sexual abuse has been just two years old, with one 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 importance of taking these statistics seriously.