In the first half of 2024, a total of 324 cases of child sexual abuse have been reported, as stated by Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Sashi Kiran, during a parliamentary session on Friday. She noted that the monthly average amounts to 54 cases, with rape being the predominant offence affecting children in Fiji.
Kiran expressed that any child subjected to such abuse is one too many and emphasized that these figures should evoke shame and reflection within the nation. She called for serious consideration of the measures being taken to address the issue.
The statistics presented were gathered from the Fiji Police Force reports covering the years 2021 to 2023, as well as data from January to June 2024. Notably, there were 729 cases recorded in 2021, which rose to 1,034 in 2022 before declining to 844 cases in 2023.
According to data from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the average age of the youngest victims of child sexual abuse over the past six years is just two years old, with the youngest victim being only six months. The average age of the youngest offender is reported to be 12 years.
Kiran indicated that three out of every five rapes reported involved children and noted that 23 births per 1,000 females were to mothers below 18 years of age.
Breaking down the figures for 2024, of the 324 reported cases, 215 were in the 13-17 age group, 94 in the 6-12 age bracket, and 15 in the 0-5 age group. Rape accounted for the majority of cases at 104, followed by 71 instances of indecent assault and 60 sexual assaults.
The overwhelming majority of victims, 297 cases or 91.7%, were female, while males made up the remaining 27 cases, representing 8.3%.