Fiji’s Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Sashi Kiran, expressed that the rising rates of child sexual abuse in the country should be a cause for national shame. During her end-of-week statement in Parliament on Friday, she presented disturbing statistics from the Fiji Police Force regarding reported cases from 2021 to 2023, extending into early 2024.
In 2021, there were 729 reported cases of child sexual abuse, which surged to 1,034 in 2022 before slightly decreasing to 844 in 2023. So far in 2024, there have already been 324 cases reported. Kiran highlighted that rape is the most common offense against children in Fiji.
Breaking down this year’s figures, 215 cases involved children aged 13 to 17, while 94 cases involved those aged 6 to 12, and 15 cases affected infants aged 0 to 5. Among the 324 cases reported this year, 104 were classified as rape, 71 as indecent assault, and 60 as sexual assault. The overwhelming majority of victims were female, totaling 297.
Although there is a slight downward trend in the numbers, Kiran warned that the statistics alone do not capture the full impact of the issue. She urged all Fijians to address the pressing problems of child sexual and domestic abuse. Each month, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions reveals troubling data that underscores the systemic failure to protect children. Alarmingly, the average age of the youngest victim of child sexual abuse in the past six years is just two years old, with the youngest victim being only six months old. According to UNICEF, five out of every six children in Fiji experience abuse or neglect within their family. Kiran emphasized the urgent need to take these issues seriously.