Save the Children Fiji is calling for a coordinated national action plan to combat the continued horrendous and shocking sexual abuse cases involving children.
Save the Children Fiji’s Chief Executive Officer, Shairana Ali says the June 2024 statistics released by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is horrific and adds to the worrying trend of rising sexual abuse cases against children and added to that horror is that most of the perpetrators are known to these young survivors.
According to the Office of the DPP’s June statistics, there were 15 victims, and tragically, 10 of them were under the age of 18, including one male and 14 females.
Six of these incidents involved perpetrators who were related to their victims.
Ali says they are deeply concerned and strongly condemn the sexual abuse of children as revealed in these statistics.
She says while they stand in solidarity with the survivors of these horrendous and diabolic attacks, they call on the State to do more to address these run-away statistics.
Ali says it is alarming to note that despite the awareness and preventative programs, each month, more and more cases are being reported.
The Save the Children Fiji CEO says there is an urgent and immediate need for vigilant supervision of children and for the society to stand up and take action, report child abuse and educate and empower communities to better protect children from harm.
They call upon policymakers, law enforcement agencies, educators, faith-based institutions, community leaders and parents and guardians to prioritize child safeguarding and take decisive steps to address this crisis.
Ali says there is also an urgent need to continue educating parents, caregivers, educators, and the community at large about the importance of child safeguarding.
She stresses that awareness campaigns and educational programs must be intensified to teach children about their rights, how to recognize signs of abuse, and the steps they can take to seek help.
Ali adds the legal framework must reflect the severity of these offences with harsher penalties strictly enforced for perpetrators of child sexual abuse.
She says a comprehensive support system, including psychosocial support and counselling, legal aid and safe spaces, must be readily available to children and their families.
They urgently call on the government to work with development partners in addressing this issue and also urgently call on the Government through the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection to revive the National Coordinating Committee for Children to ensure cross coordination among all stakeholders in Fiji.
Ali says those who commit these atrocious acts should be held accountable and face the full brunt of the law and they hope that the sentencing process can reflect the evils of this criminal behaviour. She says such criminal behaviour should always be met with lengthy jail sentences that are appropriate for such horrible offences. They also urgently call on the government to consult with key stakeholders regarding the implementation of the Registration of Sex Offenders Act 2021 and activate the Child Sex Offenders Registry passed in 2021 under the Registration of Sex Offenders Act 2021.
Please call the Child Helpline toll-free number 1325 available 24/7 or reach out to Save the Children Fiji on 3313178 to report any concerns with children.
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