It is bad enough that we have a huge drug problem. Now we face a major challenge connected to drugs. Well, it is one of the many issues that are tightly woven around the drug problem.
It seems an emerging challenge is one where young girls are at risk of pregnancy, trafficking and exploitation.
That is according to Women’s Minister Sashi Kiran.
Speaking at the launch of the Empower Pacific National Shelter for Domestic Violence in Lautoka on Friday, Ms Kiran said authorities were increasingly encountering children affected by drugs and other forms of exploitation.
A recent street sweep in Lautoka, she said, resulted in a 16-year-old pregnant girl who had been living on the streets for some time being taken into care. She said efforts had so far been unsuccessful in reintegrating the girl with her family, despite her being only 16 and close to giving birth. Girls as young as 13, 14 and 15 were becoming pregnant in the Lautoka and Nadi areas and were also being drawn into trafficking.
That is a serious concern. Ms Kiran described the situation as a new and emerging crisis involving the impact of drugs on our girls. The situation, she said, highlighted the need for greater emphasis on parenting and community support. She said we were failing our children at both the parenting and community levels.
The role of facilities such as the new shelter had expanded beyond addressing domestic violence, she said. She pointed out that five or 10 years ago the focus was largely on domestic violence, but today there was a need to cast a much wider net.
Children, she said, were being impacted when their parents were using drugs or when the children themselves were being pushed towards drugs. She said some children were also being lured into employment at a young age, with jobs that appeared legitimate but concealed illegal activities.
Again, we say, we have the base for some pretty dangerous work for our youngsters. The key is understanding them and appreciating them for who they are. What we need right now is engagement.
We say this because it is as important as it is critical for turning things around. At the end of the day, it is about appreciating what our youngsters have and how they can be part of the solutions when we consider the big picture before us. We have got to face the fact that the drug war isn’t going away any time soon.
This isn’t something for the faint-hearted either. But for us to be effective, we have to embrace change first. That means a change in mindset and an appreciation of the fact that we can all make a difference in the lives of those impacted by drugs.
We cannot afford to look away while our children are exposed to drugs, exploitation, trafficking and abuse. These are young lives and futures at stake. And that responsibility rests with all of us.
Parents must be engaged, communities must be vigilant, authorities must act, and our young people must know that there are safe places and people they can turn to. We need prevention, education, protection, rehabilitation and genuine engagement.
Our children deserve better. So, let us make sure that, together, we give them the protection, opportunity and hope they need to become the future Fiji we all want to see.
