The revelation that Cabinet has officially endorsed Fiji’s first National Child Safeguarding Policy is encouraging.
Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Sashi Kiran, said it marked a major milestone in the country’s efforts to strengthen child protection.
The policy, she said, was a critical step in advancing the nation’s commitment to child rights and safety.
While Parliament had passed two laws to protect children, the Care and Protection Act 2024 and the Child Justice Act 2024, she said, there had never been a unified national policy to guide how all agencies, organisations, and institutions should safeguard children.
The policy introduces a standardised framework that clearly outlines safeguarding practices, responsibilities, and procedures for all agencies and organisations that work with or for children.
This is not merely a bureaucratic step; it is a moral and practical necessity. The framework brings about consistency, accountability, and clarity, ensuring that whether a child interacts with a government ministry, a school, a religious institution, or a community organisation, their safety and rights are protected under the same high standard.
The Ministry led extensive national consultations and validation workshops, ensuring that the policy reflects the lived experiences of Fijian children and the voices of families, communities, and stakeholders across the country.
This approach strengthens the legitimacy of the policy and sets a powerful example for future national initiatives.
Implementation of the policy will happen in phases, supported by clear guidelines and comprehensive training for relevant sectors. This staged approach will allow for thoughtful integration of the policy’s principles and practices, avoiding disruption while ensuring long-term sustainability. It also places a responsibility on all institutions to prepare, adapt, and commit to creating safer spaces for children.
For this initiative to succeed, it must be embraced at all levels, from Cabinet to classrooms, boardrooms to village councils.
Accountability mechanisms must be firm, transparent, and enforced without fear or favour.
At its heart, this policy represents a promise, a commitment to the children of Fiji that their safety, dignity, and wellbeing matter. It is a recognition that every child, regardless of where they are born or who they live with, has the right to grow up free from harm.
We must protect that right not only with laws and policies but also with compassion, vigilance, and collective will. The responsibility of safeguarding children belongs to all of us, from parents, educators, religious leaders, health workers, neighbours to peers.
The protection of our children is not negotiable. We must embrace this with urgency, with unity, and with unwavering resolve.