Fiji’s first structured residential drug recovery programme specifically for teenage boys has opened in Lautoka, as concerns grow over alcohol and illicit drug use among children.
Minister for Children, Sashi Kiran officially opened the Na Sala Vou Recovery Centre.
The centre will provide a 12-week residential drug recovery programme for boys aged between 14 and 17.
Kiran says the opening is an important milestone in Fiji’s response to drug and alcohol use among young people, with children as young as 10 to 14 years being affected by addiction.
She says Fiji needs a coordinated and compassionate response that includes treatment, family support and greater community involvement.
Kiran says the focus should not only be on removing children from the streets, but also understanding why they end up there in the first place.
She is calling on families, communities, faith-based organisations and civil society groups to strengthen support for vulnerable children, saying traditional support systems, including the vanua, family and community, have an important role in protecting them from harmful influences.
Kiran further says children recovering from addiction also need continued support when they return to their families and communities after completing treatment.
She adds that the success of the Na Sala Vou Recovery Centre will depend not only on its three-month residential programme but also on the support children receive after leaving the centre.
Kiran also acknowledged Empower Pacific, the Punja’s Group of Companies, government agencies, faith-based organisations and civil society groups for supporting efforts to protect and rehabilitate children.
She described the centre as a new door to healing, hope and a new path for Fiji’s young people.
