Fiji is pushing ahead with a transformative “national commitment” to overhaul its social safety nets and confront a rising drug crisis threatening the country’s youth.
Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Sashi Kiran, told Parliament that the government is finalising a strategic framework to guide poverty alleviation through to 2030.
“This framework is not simply a policy document, it is a national commitment,” Minister Kiran said.
The plan aims to ensure those in poverty have “equitable access to opportunities and essential services across all the government agencies”.
Addressing the “rise in substance abuse among our youth,” the minister announced the establishment of a specialised child wellbeing and recovery centre.
The facility is designed to “help rehabilitate and re-integrate our children who are on the streets and struggling with drug addiction”.
Additionally, a new National Alcohol and Other Drugs Rehabilitation Centre for girls is being developed in partnership with Empower Pacific.
The minister also highlighted a shift toward economic independence, noting that social protection “must not trap people in dependency, it must open doors to independence”.
Currently, over 108,000 Fijians rely on social assistance.
To drive this change, the government has set a “bold national target” to increase women’s labour force participation to 60 per cent by 2030.
