Are these parents and communities not looking for their children, and do we check whether our children are safe.
This was the question raised by Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Sashi Kiran, at the special screening of the movie Sound of Freedom at Damodar City, as she spoke about children loitering on our streets.
Kiran says people will watch this movie and think about it in our context, and ask how do we protect our children.
She says it calls for action, each one of us to really think through what are we doing with our children, even though it is a movie that brings attention to human trafficking globally.
The Assistant Minister says if you look at Asia Foundation’s report, it is a reality in our region as well.
According to the Child Welfare Act Database, 1,968 cases of child neglect were reported in Fiji last year.
She says if you look at the neglect cases, sexual abuse cases right in our own backyard, this movie really calls for you and I to look at the child out there that belongs to this nation.
Kiran asks as a community what can we do to rise and protect our children.
Acting Prime Minister, Viliame Gavoka says we have a lot of street children in Fiji and this is very sad.
He says we should make every effort to find them accommodation, educate them and bring them up so they can stand on their own 2 feet and not be vulnerable to acts of evils like child slavery.
Ahava Project Fiji Founder, Naina Senito says the movie was very inspirational and emotional because they got to experience the true stories of the people they serve on the streets.
Before the screening, fijivillage News spoke to Asenaca Blake who said it really touches their hearts as mothers seeing the increase in the number of children on the streets.
