THE increasing number of child neglect cases in Fiji is a direct result of parents spending excessive time on mobile devices, says Great Council of Chiefs (GCC) chairman, Ratu Viliame Seruvakula.
He said in traditional iTaukei society, the community as a whole was responsible for nurturing children, but modern distractions were weakening this collective responsibility.
“It takes a village to raise a child, but when the adults in the village spend half their daily hours on their mobile phones, it’s of little wonder (why) children feel neglected,” Ratu Viliame told The Fiji Times.
He emphasised that children require affection and attention during critical stages of their development, particularly from birth to school age.
“In the iTaukei setting, the entire village is responsible for that; it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that a child behaves according to the ways of life of the vanua the child is born into,” Ratu Viliame explained.
He pointed out the importance of early caregiver-child relationships in establishing a sense of security, noting that the concept of trust versus mistrust plays a critical role in a child’s development.
“It is the feeling of neglect that is driving our children towards each other, making decisions on their own when they are not mature enough to do so, consequently driving them to mischief,” he said.
