Sanatan Dharm Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji is calling on all Ramayan Mandali, women's wings, youth wing, and brahman leaders to find ways to discuss sex education, teenage pregnancy, and the influx in the number of street kids in the country.
This was highlighted by the Sanatan Dharm National President Dhirendra Nand as the largest Hindu faith-based organisation is genuinely concerned with the alarming increase of 260 percent in HIV and AIDS cases in Fiji.
He says the Sabha is ready to work with other faith-based organisations and government departments to help address the issues of HIV and AIDS in Fiji.
Nand says this is the time for all stakeholders to stop the blame game and get together to find ways to address this problems in our country as they have also written newsletters to all its affiliated branches to include awareness and public education to all its followers on such topics.
The Sabha also calls on the stakeholders to carry out a thorough survey and head counts of street kids in different towns and areas as this will assist in identifying the hot spot areas.
The president says the Sabha is putting resources to create a space for vulnerable young girls to seek professional counseling as the latest statistics show that 14 percent (178 out of 1,279) of the Indo-Fijian girls are victims of teenage pregnancy.
Nand says the establishment of rehabilitation centers around the country is high-priority, looking at the increase in drug-related cases and teenage pregnancy which is interrelated.
He further states that law enforcement agencies should target youth loitering after hours in major towns and cities.
The President says as a full plan and strategies with sufficient human and financial resources need to be allocated to eradicate these issues, the Sabha is also ready to partner with agencies and allocate resources it has to help in creating education and awareness Fiji-wide.
