School holidays are meant to be a period of rest, recreation and renewal for children after months of structured learning and discipline. Families look forward to time together, communities expect vibrant activities, and children themselves anticipate freedom from classrooms and homework. However, in recent years, and more alarmingly during festive seasons, this freedom has increasingly translated into a troubling sight across towns, cities, beaches and seacoasts: large numbers of school-aged children roaming public spaces unsupervised, often late into the night.
This is not a harmless or trivial matter. It is a serious social concern that touches on child safety, parental responsibility, public order, and the role of the State. While children’s rights must be protected, there is growing public unease that those rights have been emphasised without equal weight being given to responsibility, guidance and accountability. The result is confusion, inconsistent enforcement, and children placed at unnecessary risk.
This opinion column examines what has gone wrong, how well-intentioned policies have been misunderstood or misapplied, and what practical, humane and firm actions are needed when children are found loitering unsupervised in public spaces during school holidays.
The growing reality on our streets, beaches and town centres
Across Fiji’s urban centres, peri-urban settlements and coastal areas, the presence of unsupervised children during school holidays has become increasingly visible. Groups of children, some barely in their early teens, can be seen wandering shopping areas, bus stands, parks, sea walls and beaches, sometimes during the day but more concerningly after dark.
The risks are obvious and well-documented. Children left without supervision are vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, substance exposure, criminal influence, road accidents, drowning, and sexual violence.
For girls, the dangers are even more pronounced, while boys are often drawn into risky behaviour, peer pressure and minor criminal activity that can escalate into lifelong consequences.
This is not about criminalising children.
It is about recognising that children do not yet have the maturity, judgement or resilience to protect themselves in environments designed for adults.
Understanding the intent behind child protection policies
The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection, through child welfare legislation and services such as the toll-free Child Help Line 1325, was established with a noble and necessary purpose: to protect children from abuse, neglect and violence, particularly in situations where parents or guardians fail in their duty of care.
The introduction of child helplines and reporting mechanisms was a progressive step, giving children a voice and a lifeline in genuinely harmful situations.
These measures were never intended to weaken parental authority, undermine family structures, or absolve parents of their primary responsibility to supervise and guide their children.
Unfortunately, over time, a dangerous misconception has emerged.
When rights are misunderstood as freedom without limits
In many households, the message received, rightly or wrongly, has been that children now have “too many rights” and parents have “too few powers.” Some parents feel paralysed by fear: fear that disciplining a child will lead to accusations of abuse, fear that setting boundaries will result in calls to helplines, fear that authority itself is now unlawful.
At the same time, some children have come to believe that any form of discipline, restriction or instruction can be reported as abuse.
This misunderstanding has emboldened a small but growing number of children to defy parental control, roam freely, and resist guidance.
The tragedy is that in trying to protect children, we may have unintentionally exposed them to far greater danger.
The reality check: Rights must coexist with responsibility
Children’s rights do not exist in isolation. They exist within families, communities and societies. Every right carries a corresponding responsibility, on parents, on the State, and ultimately on the child as they grow.
Parental responsibility is not optional.
It is not transferable to the police, to social welfare officers, or to the general public.
Parents and guardians are legally and morally responsible for knowing where their children are, who they are with, and what they are doing, especially during school holidays.
When children are found loitering unsupervised, it is not a failure of the child alone. It is a failure of supervision.
What has gone wrong in practice
-Inconsistent messaging from authorities
On one hand, children are told they can report parents for mistreatment. On the other hand, the same Ministry urges the public to report unsupervised children to the Child Help Line. This dual messaging has created confusion and resentment among parents and the wider community.
The public asks a fair question: If parents are held accountable for supervision, why were they first made to feel powerless?
-Weak community enforcement
Traditionally, communities played an active role in supervising children. Elders, neighbours and community leaders felt empowered to question, correct and guide children. Today, many fear being accused of interference or abuse, choosing silence instead of intervention.
-Normalisation of loitering
What was once considered unacceptable, children roaming streets late at night, is now increasingly tolerated. Over time, tolerance becomes normalisation, and normalisation becomes crisis.
-The role of the ministry and the police: Necessary but not sufficient
The Ministry’s announcement that children found loitering unsupervised will be taken to the nearest police station and referred to Child Welfare Officers is a necessary step. Regular patrols and hotspot sweeps during school holidays send a clear message that child safety is non-negotiable.
However, enforcement alone cannot solve a social problem rooted in homes, habits and attitudes. Police and welfare officers cannot replace parents.
Clear actions needed when children are found loitering
-Immediate Safety First
Children found unsupervised, especially after dark, should be safely removed from public spaces and taken to a secure environment such as a police station or community post, with welfare officers notified immediately.
-Parent and guardian accountability
Parents must be contacted without delay. Counselling should be mandatory, not optional. Repeat cases should trigger formal warnings and, where necessary, legal consequences under child protection laws.
-Welfare, not punishment, for children
Children should not be treated as offenders. They should be counselled, educated about risks, and supported—particularly where poverty, neglect or family breakdown is involved.
-Data collection and follow-up
Each case should be documented. Patterns must be identified. Are the same children repeatedly found? Are certain areas consistently affected? Without data, there can be no effective policy.
The responsibility of the general public
The Ministry has called on the public to report unsupervised children via the Child Help Line 1325.
This is a reasonable request — but it must be accompanied by assurance that reports will lead to meaningful, consistent action.
Members of the public should not feel guilty or hesitant. Reporting is not betrayal; it is protection. However, authorities must ensure that reports are handled sensitively and transparently, so public trust is maintained.
Re-empowering parents without endorsing abuse
This debate is often wrongly framed as a choice between children’s rights and parental authority. It is not. The real goal is balance.
Parents must be clearly told, by the Ministry, schools and community leaders, that reasonable discipline, supervision and boundary-setting are lawful, necessary and encouraged. Abuse must be condemned, but authority must be restored. Clear guidelines should distinguish between abuse and discipline, neglect and supervision, protection and overreach.
The role of schools and faith-based organisations
Schools and religious institutions cannot remain silent during holidays. Awareness campaigns before term breaks, parent workshops, youth programmes and holiday activities can reduce idle time and risky behaviour.
Idle children are not just bored; they are vulnerable.
Community-based solutions that work
Neighbourhood watch groups, community patrols, youth clubs, sports programmes and supervised holiday camps are proven solutions. They require coordination, modest funding and, most importantly, community ownership. When communities reclaim responsibility for their children, the streets become safer for everyone. Beaches and seacoasts: A special area of concern
Children found unsupervised at beaches and seacoasts face unique dangers: drowning, alcohol exposure, predatory behaviour and night-time accidents. Local councils and maritime authorities must work with police to enforce curfews and supervision rules in coastal areas.
Signage alone is not enough. Presence matters
Legal clarity and policy review
The current situation calls for a review of child welfare communication—not necessarily the laws themselves, but how they are explained and implemented. Policies must reinforce parental responsibility while safeguarding children from genuine harm.
Ambiguity benefits no one.
A call for balance, not blame
This is not about blaming parents, children, or ministries in isolation. It is about acknowledging that the system has drifted off balance and correcting course before more children are harmed.
Children need protection, yes, but they also need structure, boundaries and supervision. Parents need support, not fear. Communities need clarity, not confusion. And the State must lead with consistency, firmness and compassion.
Conclusion: Protecting children by acting early
Unsupervised children in public spaces during school holidays are not merely a seasonal inconvenience; they are a warning sign. A warning that families are struggling, communities are disengaging, and policies are being misunderstood.
If we truly care about children, we must act early, act together, and act decisively. Reporting unsupervised children, enfo.
INDAR DEO BISUN is a former teacher and a lecturer in education at the Fiji National University. The views expressed in this article are his and do not reflect the views of this newspaper.
