Shania Shayal Prasad 
There have been an increasing number of children seen on the streets.
This has been confirmed by Assistant Minister for Women, Children, and Poverty Alleviation Sashi Kiran, who says they recorded a higher number of cases in Nadi and Suva.
She adds that this has also led to children not making a living out of begging on the street but rather involving themselves in crimes such as glue sniffing.
“It’s hard for us to say to people, don’t give money to these children. There is a lot of empathy around it. But we’ve also seen that money and people who are working on the streets, helping us right now, working with them, know that when the $5, $10, or $2 are given, it very quickly goes into buying glue; it doesn’t go into buying food. So we also have to think about how we discourage people from giving them that money.”
Kiran adds that they are working with various stakeholders to try to come up with sustainable solutions.
She says they are working on developing youth and children’s rehabilitation centers.
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