A YOUNG boy was tied to a ladder by his grandmother in a suspected case of child abuse, according to a community worker.
Taveuni Women Empowerment member Atrul Nisha told a recent workshop on child protection that the incident happened several years ago near her home.
“The boy was cheeky and used to swear at his grandmother. One day, she just got frustrated and tied his hands to a ladder,” Ms Nisha said, adding the child, who was believed to be in Year 5 at the time, had been raised by his grandparents.
She said she was shocked by what she saw but didn’t dare to confront the old lady.
“But I went closer so she would feel a little frightened and stop. Then I contacted a trusted stakeholder privately.”
Ms Nisha said officials visited the home the next day and spoke with the old lady.
“After that, I never saw anything like that happen again.”
In the past, she said, her group focused mainly on empowering women and youths, but did not pay much attention to child abuse issues.
“This year, we received funding to work on child abuse awareness, and after attending this workshop, I now understand what can be done to help children.”
Ms Nish said many abuse cases go unreported in the community due to shame and fear.
“Some families hide it. They think people in the community will talk about them, so they don’t report it.”
The community group now plans to run awareness programs in villages to encourage families to speak up and protect children.
Acting Assistant Police Commissioner (Operations) Kasiano Vusonilawe said police would only act if cases were reported.
“We urge everyone to come forward so we can act before something happens,” he said.
Mr Vusonilawe said he did not know whether the matter was reported or not because many cases of child abuse go unreported.
“We are concerned that some communities are hesitant to report directly to the police.
“Instead, they speak to others about their concerns.”
He said police would continue working with the media to share important information with the public.
