Reverend Semisi Turagavou, the President of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma, is calling on parents to take accountability for their parenting roles. A report from the Ministry of Women and Social Protection reveals that 76 percent of children who have experienced abuse and neglect come from Christian households, with 75 percent of these children being iTaukei.
Reverend Turagavou expressed concern that the significant involvement of Christian families in these statistics reflects negatively on the community. He stated, “We acknowledge the problem and will not shy away from it. We take full responsibility as social issues within homes persist despite numerous awareness campaigns.”
To combat these challenges, the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma is considering scaling back some church activities. Reverend Turagavou indicated that certain programs may consume too much family time, which has been a point of concern for many members.
He pointed out that spending excessive time on church-related activities affects family interactions and highlighted the importance of reinforcing family unity to mitigate adverse impacts on children. “We will work with the congregation to strengthen family bonds and address these issues,” he affirmed.