There is an urgent call for comprehensive age-appropriate sexual health education in schools, as highlighted by Nalini Singh, the executive director of the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM). This plea comes in light of concerning statistics revealing that approximately 1,000 teenage girls became mothers each year between 2016 and 2019.
Singh expressed alarm over the rising trend of early sexual activity among younger individuals. “What can we do to prevent them from making decisions that will ultimately change the course of their lives?” she queried, emphasizing the necessity for children to be educated about bodily autonomy, safe environments, consent, and respectful relationships.
She asserted that empowering women and girls with essential knowledge about their bodies is vital. “Withholding this information can lead to increased violence and social challenges, such as teenage pregnancy and poverty,” she noted. Singh stressed the importance of breaking the stigma surrounding discussions of sex and sexuality.
“The decisions we make to limit access to this information greatly impact our children and shape their ability to make informed choices about their bodies,” she added.
Singh also urged the inclusion of sexual health education in school curriculums, stating, “We have consistently advocated for this through national budget submissions, youth-led forums, and research analyses. It is hoped that the dissemination of this data will encourage stakeholders to critically assess the need for comprehensive sexual education for children.”
Data from the report “Putting Data and Evidence into Action: An Intersectional Profile of Adolescent Pregnancy and Motherhood in Fiji” indicated a significant rise in the adolescent fertility rate from 2016 to 2019, with an increase from 30 to 38 births per 1,000 among iTaukei mothers and from 19 to 24 births per 1,000 among non-iTaukei mothers.