43 call in two months

months, it is a huge jump. “Unfortunately, out of the 43 cases, majority are children under the age of 18… and there are many cases that are not reported.”

She said their medical team was telling her that they were getting calls at the weekends, late at night to attend to fresh cases of alleged rape.

“It is a concern for Fiji as a whole; it is a concern for us as a service provider,” she said.

“We have to make sure that our doctors are available, counsellors and social support. That’s putting a lot of pressure on our services too.”

Ms Shaleen said the increase in the number of cases should be a concern for everyone.

“It should be a concern for the faith-based organisation too. It is everybody’s responsibility to raise a child,” she said.

“Parents in particular, the perpetrators are known to the child. These are uncles, neighbours, fathers and grandfathers. Now, we are seeing a trend where children are the perpetrators as well. Children abusing other children.”

She feels many awareness programmes must reach the maritime and hard to access communities, schools and parents.

“There is a lot of advocacies that needs to go out on child protection, on the good and bad touches just to start off in school setting and communities.

According to recent media reports, the Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Lynda Tabuya called on all Fijian

men and boys to help stop the heinous crime because men were viewed as protectors.

She also called for more urgent action from everyone, including the Government, non-governmental organisations and the public, to address this social ill, adding that any form of violence against women and girls were human rights violations.