Headteachers who fail to report serious child abuse cases to police risk facing fines of up to $5000, a senior officer has warned.
Police juvenile officer (West) Sergeant Asenaca Taufa issued the caution during the Lautoka, Nadi and Yasawa Head Teachers District Symposium this week, stressing that school leaders are legally obligated to report such incidents.
Her warning follows a disturbing case she encountered involving the rape of a student at a boarding school on an island, which went unreported despite the presence of a nearby police post.
“The victim was a student, and she was being raped by other students,” Sgt Taufa said.
“This case was not reported even though the police post was there on the island.”
The incident only came to light two weeks later after rumours reached the victim’s grandmother, who then reported the matter to authorities.
Sgt Taufa said she was assigned to the case while serving in the Sexual Offences Unit and was alarmed by the school’s failure to act.
“I spoke to the principal who told me that he did not know that he was supposed to report.”
She emphasised that under child welfare laws, educators were classified as professionals and mandated to report abuse, with penalties for non-compliance.
“The incident happened under his watch, in the school compound, that was the sad part.”
Sgt Taufa said the principal pleaded for leniency, citing a lack of awareness, but she stressed that ignorance of the law was no excuse when children’s safety was at stake.
She also outlined proper procedures for safeguarding victims, particularly in remote island settings, advising that children should be kept in a safe environment until police arrived.
“If it’s a girl and you are a male teacher, your wife has to be there,” she said.
“You can take the child into your house or to a nursing station, because there are risks if you return the child to the family.”
Under Fiji’s Child Welfare Act 2010, professionals must immediately report suspected or known child harm (including neglect or abuse) to the Permanent Secretary (PS) to avoid penalties
Section 4(a)-(b) mandates written or electronic notice if a child is harmed or likely to be harmed, while Section 17 imposes a fine up to $5000 for failing to do so.
