Crimes against women and children have seen a significant spike last month, with incidents involving women increasing by 39 percent and those involving children rising by 9 percent.
Out of 232 cases reported for crimes against women, a remarkable 88 percent were assault-related, while 12 percent were categorized as sexual offences. Furthermore, 31 percent of these cases were domestic in nature, with the offender being a spouse or partner.
The main contributor to the rise in crimes against women was the offence of assault causing actual bodily harm, which saw 181 cases—an increase of 65 cases compared to the same timeframe last year.
In terms of crimes against children, 153 cases were reported, with 96 of the victims being girls and 57 boys. Among these recorded incidents, 53 percent were sexual offences, 35 percent were assault-related, and the remaining 12 percent involved other types of offences.
The Fiji Police Force indicated that the rise in crimes against children was predominantly attributed to an increase in assault causing actual bodily harm, which jumped from 25 to 45 cases.