Three organisations have jointly expressed outrage and heartbreak over the discovery of a newborn baby boy abandoned in a sanitary bin at the Fiji National University’s hostel toilet in Lautoka.
The Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM), International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and the Reproductive Family Health Association of Fiji (RFHAF) state “this tragedy is not an isolated act of desperation.”
“It is a devastating signal that our systems are failing young women,” they state.
“It speaks to a lack of access to safe and affordable sexual and reproductive health services, limited education, inadequate public health outreach, and a society that too often fails to support women in crisis.”
The groups said the incident underscores the urgent need for comprehensive sexuality education in schools and tertiary institutions, where young people should be both educated and protected.
“From a feminist perspective, this is a matter of reproductive justice.”
“No woman or girl should feel so unsupported and afraid that she is left with no option but to abandon her newborn in secrecy and fear.”
“Shame, stigma, and silence continue to control the lives of young women in Fiji, particularly around unplanned pregnancy and sexuality.”
“Rather than respond with punishment, we must respond with empathy, accountability, and systemic change.
“This baby must now be protected and supported, but so must the mother. We cannot allow this tragedy to be repeated in silence.”
