A report on violence against children in Fiji that the Fiji National University (FNU) collaborated on was launched by the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection yesterday.

Fiji National University Representative, Ms Makereta Mua (far left) at the launch of the Violence Against Children in Fiji Scoping Study Report

The report titled “Violence Against Children in Fiji, A Scoping Study Report” is a joint research collaboration between FNU and the University of the Pacific.

FNU’s College of Humanities and Education (CHE) Acting Dean, Professor Nii-K Plange was part of a group of academics and researchers that worked on the report.

The objectives of the research included identifying the key drivers of violence against children in the home setting in Fiji, finding out the incidence of cases of violence against children in Fiji, identifying and exploring factors associated with incidence sites or ‘hot spots’ as identified by the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection and to conduct a stock take of current programmes and initiatives addressing such areas.

The report also provided recommended areas of further exploration for stakeholders.

Professor Nii-K Plange said that it was a timely and important research and report that addressed one of the critical aspects of society – the safety of children as they grow up in family, household, and community.

“In a way, the findings speak to the tendency to betray the trust that children put in adult family members,” said Professor Plange.

Some of the key findings of the report revealed that while the media reports usually note older men as perpetrators, the majority of sexual abuses are by younger men in their prime ages of 16-40 years.

The report also revealed that child sexual abuse is predominantly suffered by girls and starts from as young as under 5 years, continues through teens and into adulthood as women, sisters, spouses/partners. This makes child sexual abuse part of the gender-based violence issue in the country.

According to the report, the large majority of perpetrators of all abuses including sexual abuse are close relatives and many times within the household setting.

The predominance of sexual abuse of girls conceals the existence of other forms of abuse. The report further revealed that in most cases the perpetrators of sexual abuse are of ethnic i-Taukei origin while emotional abuse tends to be perpetrated more by families of Indo-Fijian origin.

“Going forward, the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection must take the recommendations provided in the report seriously and ensure their effective implementation and periodic monitoring,” advised Professor Plange.