Parents can face accountability if their children are involved in serious crimes such as sexual assault and rape, according to the Fiji Police Force. Inspector Unaisi Mateiwai, an officer with the Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Unit, emphasized this at a recent Christian rally, stating that the law would not hesitate to hold parents and guardians responsible if necessary.
Inspector Mateiwai pointed out that many children easily access illicit content on social media due to a lack of parental monitoring. She cited a disturbing case involving a five-year-old and a three-month-old girl, suggesting that the incident could have been prevented if the parents had been more vigilant.
“That rape happened from what they were watching,” Inspector Mateiwai said, highlighting the influence of mobile phones and electronic devices on children. She explained that children are only permitted by law to own a mobile phone and have a social media account without supervision once they turn 18. If a child under 18 has access to these devices, parents must know their passwords and actively monitor their usage.
“You must monitor. You must guide,” she instructed parents.
Inspector Mateiwai affirmed that parents could be held accountable if their child breaks the law. “When they are found or caught, they are transferred to us at the Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Unit. If we see that the reason for the child breaking the law was due to parental negligence, then we can arrest the parent,” she stated.
This hard stance aims to ensure that parents take active responsibility in supervising and guiding their children to prevent such serious crimes.