FAMILIES in rural communities across Fiji often prefer to resolve rape cases within the family rather than report them to the authorities.
This was revealed during the Sexual Abuse in Fiji panel discussion earlier this week, where Ela Tukutukulevu the deputy director of the Department of Children, said the issue was especially prevalent in families where the perpetrator was a relative.
Ms Tukutukulevu said that shame remained a significant barrier to reporting sexual abuse.
“It is a shame, especially if the abuse happens in the family and a member of the perpetrator is known to the family,” Ms Tukutukulevu said.
“One major barrier, shame or intimidation, and also fear, the fear of being talked about in the community, because we talk about these kinds of things in our communities.”
She said the fear of social stigma and community gossip often led families to handle such cases privately, which could prevent children from coming forward to seek help.
The police representative of the Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Team, Adi Salote Lalabalavu, noted improvements in reporting, thanks to increased awareness efforts by community officers.
“We see that now there is more reporting coming from the communities, just because of the robust awareness that has been conducted by our community officers out there in the field,” Adi Salote said.
However, she acknowledged that many cases were still dealt with within families, creating reluctance among children to share their experiences openly.
“Children might share it in school, and then that is how we get the report being lodged.
“Some just walk into the police station to report the matter. Some we receive on referral.”
