Alarming statistics for sex offenders analysed by corrections

The year 2016 recorded the highest rate of sexual offences with a high percentage from the young aged bracket. The revelation was made by Fiji Corrections Service Senior Psychologist Elenani Vuru at the last day of the 37th Asian and Pacific of Correctional Administrators.

“In 2016 this was the rate and we found that the majority of the offenders had only received primary education.” she said.

Fiji Corrections Service Commissioner Commander Francis Kean stressed the need for more work to be done with all stakeholders to see a stop to this rise. “The stats are quite alarming particularly with sex offenders and a call has been made for a collective approach to addressing this alarming trend with regard to sex offenders.

“It is a concern.

“We also heard from the Police department that we need to work together to address this alarming trend of sex offenders,” Commander Kean said.

“Over the last few days we have heard from stakeholders, from the Government and the private sector and the whole reason behind this is to promote the awareness of what we are doing. “We need everyone’s help on this. We cannot do it alone,” he added. Commander Kean said the Corrections service was always at the end of the chain when it came to the system.

“The Fiji Corrections Service is always at the back end of the justice system where all persons who are incarcerated for the faults committed come to us and that’s where the work of rehabilitation starts,” he said. He also said that the work of rehabilitating offenders required a collective effort.

“The work of rehabilitation is not the work alone of the Fiji Corrections Service. It’s the whole nation’s effort, it requires the involvement of the community, the leaders of the

vanua and the private and public sectors to help those who have been incarcerated make a life changing decision to become a good citizen,” he said.