Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says he was both sickened and outraged when he saw a video from last year at Ratu Kadavulevu School that was circulating online, showing a student being brutally beaten and bullied by his classmates.
Bainimarama says it broke his heart as he saw his own children and grandchildren in the student that was beaten up.
The Prime Minister says while police are investigating the matter, he wants to make it clear that Fiji should have zero tolerance for this merciless behaviour.
He says teachers alone can’t stop abuse adding this is a breakdown in our social values, and we need to fight it at every level, from government, school, and at home.
The Prime Minister is asking students not to view the vulnerable as an easy target for picking on or beating as that doesn’t make anyone tough but it makes a coward.
He says true strength comes from speaking out, standing up and protecting those who need it most.
Bainimarama says parents know that this abuse too often starts from home and they need to make it clear that wherever their children are, they must treat all Fijians with kindness and respect.
He has also asked teachers to work to create a culture of trust and love in their classrooms that combats this behaviour before it starts.
