The Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Sashi Kiran, expressed that the statistics on child sexual abuse should be a source of shame for Fiji. During her end-of-week statement in Parliament on Friday, she presented recent data from the Fiji Police Force concerning child sexual abuse cases reported between 2021 and 2023, with some data extending to June 2024.
In 2021, there were 729 reported cases of child sexual abuse. This number rose significantly in 2022 to 1,034 cases but then decreased in 2023 to 844 cases. The first half of 2024 has already seen 324 reported cases. Kiran 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 13-17 years,
– 94 cases were reported for children aged 6-12 years,
– 15 cases involved infants aged 0-5 years.
According to the data, 104 of these cases were classified as rape, 71 as indecent assault, and 60 as sexual assault, with females representing the majority of the victims, totaling 297.
Kiran noted that while there has been a decline in reported cases, the stark statistics should invoke deep reflection within the nation. She urged all Fijians to address the pressing issues of child sexual and domestic abuse, emphasizing that the data released monthly indicates a systemic failure to protect children. She pointed out that in the past six years, the average age of the youngest child victim of sexual abuse was just two years, and the youngest victim recorded was only six months old. Furthermore, UNICEF data indicates that five out of every six children in Fiji experience abuse or neglect from their families.
“We must take these issues seriously,” she concluded.