Fiji Council of Social Services executive director Vani Catanasiga is urging Government to consult with stakeholders on who and how a planned curfew for children will be enforced.
She said they should also clarify on how they would ensure the delicate balance between state powers and private rights.
She said Government needed to elucidate on who and how the curfew would be enforced.
“FCOSS hopes that parenting workshops, mentoring and compulsory supervision of the offender/s by faith-based organisations and non-governmental organisations are considered to enhance parenting skills and community support for families,” Ms Catanasiga said.
Government also needed to clarify what the penalties are for those who offend, she said, adding it “should be geared towards remedial actions rather than punitive”.
FCOSS had worked to highlight the urgent need to better provide targeted support for families in 2022 by passing the People’s Resolution for Effective Development Cooperation.
“Resolution four called for the reinforcement of family centred approaches to resilience and wellbeing and was meant to highlight to the Government and Fiji’s development partners the urgent need for a repriorisation of families in their development cooperation focus.
“If this call had been heeded then or even before from other stakeholders, we would not have come to this juncture.”
She said the proposal by the minister for a curfew for unsupervised children was one FCOSS would support as a temporary measure only, given the many studies that had alluded to the need for better care and protection for our children.
