Fiji is seeing a disturbing rise in domestic violence and sexual offences, including the defilement of young persons aged 13 to 16, says Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu.
Speaking during a media conference at the police headquarters on Tuesday, Mr Tudravu said the increase in crimes against women and children was alarming.
“Worryingly, crimes against women increased by 20 per cent, whereby 37 per cent of these crimes were committed within domestic settings, predominantly perpetrated by spouses and partners,” he said.
He said most cases involved physical violence, with sexual offences making up a smaller but still significant proportion.
“89 per cent of the cases were assault-related, while 11 per cent involved sexual offences,” Mr Tudravu said.
“Crimes against children recorded an increase of 8 per cent. Of the 114 cases, 68 per cent were sexual offences, 24 per cent assault-related and 8 per cent linked to other offences.”
He noted that nearly a quarter of sexual crimes were committed by people known to the victims, often within families.
“It has been observed that there is a concerning 25 per cent increase in sexual crime, with 23 per cent committed by individuals known to the victim.
“The disturbing trend often involved close family members.”
Mr Tudravu said many of the cases were coming from isolated communities and called for help in breaking the silence around abuse.
“There are more cases in isolated communities, and I urge community and religious leaders to help law enforcement end the culture of silence, as the family structure that should be a source of safety and security has become a place of vulnerability and betrayal.”
He pleaded with the public to help protect society’s most vulnerable.
