ONE in eight counselling sessions at the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre’s Labasa office involved a child survivor of abuse, according to centre coordinator, Shamima Ali.
She said children in the North continued to encounter high levels of abuse. Responding to queries from this newspaper, Ms Ali said the centre was providing counselling to 38 victims of child rape and sexual abuse, and child physical or verbal abuse.
“This shows how crucial the work of our staff is in the region,” she added,
“Our counsellors see the trauma, fear, and injustice survivors face every day.”
Behind every statistic released by the non-profit organisation, Ms Ali said, there was a woman and child who had endured violence.
“There is a need for stronger child-protection mechanisms across Fiji.”
