Lynda Tabuya: Government Has Failed Our Children

Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Lynda Tabuya pulled no punches at the launch of the  “Violence Against Children In Fiji” Report. Tabuya reveals that 4 out 5 children in Fiji face some sort of abuse. She further adds that that number has been the same for some years now.

She says it is upon us, as our responsibility is to come together as a community to tackle this scourge.

The Minister says consultations are underway for the Child Justice Bill and the Child Protection Bill, and she has also sought for the Bills to be reviewed especially with UNICEF who have expertise in legislation.

She says the Ministry has established a Department for Children and they need to fill the role of Director for Children.

An extensive Situation Analysis On Children In Fiji Released By UNICEF in 2017 revealed that while there was not enough data, indications were that many Fijian children were subjected to some form of abuse:

You can read the full report here: Situation-Analysis-of-Children-Fiji.pdf (unicef.org) 

All in all, it is clear we are in a pretty bad place when it comes to protecting our children.