The revelation that Fiji recorded 870 cases of child abuse and neglect from January to July this year, and 494 girls were subjected to neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse and teenage pregnancy is cause for concern.
Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Minister Mereseini Vuniwaqa spoke about this.
She said this was according to the Child Welfare Act’s mandatory reporting system channelled through the Social Welfare Department.
She shared the information during the launch of the revised inter-agency guidelines on child abuse and neglect at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva yesterday.
We agree that the statistics are telling and show that many of us continue to fail as parents, caregivers or as persons and organisations who had been entrusted with the safety and wellbeing of children.
The most recorded case types, she said, were child neglect (lack of supervision, medical neglect, and failure to provide food, clothing or shelter), physical abuse, and sexual abuse.
A total of 57 per cent of the child victims were reported to be females (494 cases), compared to males; 43 per cent (376 cases).
She has urged parents, Government and non-government organisations to work together, to relook at strategies and “do whatever it takes to achieve its common goal of a safer environment for children”.
Last year, a total of 1452 cases of child abuse and neglect were reported in Fiji.
This isn’t a positive reflection of the kind of people we are.
We wonder then what is causing these figures to reach such dizzying heights.
Surely there would have to be reasons that enable this to happen.
Then again, the challenge will still have to be on us to do the right thing.
That will mean understanding the issues before us, being encouraged to consider the welfare of our young charges, and being receptive to their needs and wants.
Ideally we’d all be good parents and guardians daily.
That would be the ideal scenario. Sadly though, that isn’t so judging by the numbers before us.
We must remind ourselves of our duty to our children.
That means every stakeholder, from the powers that be to the parents and guardians play an important role in the nurturing and development of our children.
As the good minister suggested, we have a duty to do whatever it takes to achieve a common goal of a safer environment for children.
Our children are our future.
We must set a god base for their development.
