Children as young as 10 are becoming trapped in addiction as vulnerable children turn to the streets for acceptance and care they no longer find at home, Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran warns.
Speaking in Parliament, Ms Kiran said family breakdown, parental abandonment, violence, neglect and emotional disconnection were among the main drivers pushing children onto the streets and into the reach of criminal and drug networks.
“Most concerning of all, children as young as 10 to 14 years of age are now becoming trapped in the cycle of addiction,” she said.
She said some children returned to the streets even after efforts to reunite them with their families.
“When asked why, they tell us that the streets are where they feel accepted and cared for. It is a tragedy that a child can feel safer and more loved on our streets while exposed to violence, exploitation, HIV, drugs and the other elements than within our own homes.”
She warned that Fiji’s traditional protective structures were weakening.
“In the Fijian way of life, the family, the community and the vanua are our protective pillars. When these pillars weaken, our children fall through the cracks.”
Opposition MP Virendra Lal said rehabilitation alone would not solve the problem.
He said Government must address why children were reaching addiction.
“If we concentrate our resources on treating young people after they have become addicted, while failing to address the circumstances that expose them to drugs and alcohol, then we will continue dealing with the consequences rather than the causes,” he said.
Mr Lal called for stronger prevention through schools, families and communities, as well as measurable results from Government programs.
