Apenisa Waqairadovu 
[File Photo]
UNICEF Child Mental Health Specialist Dr. Koen Sevenants is warning that many victims of child sexual abuse in Fiji don’t even realize what happened to them until years later.
New figures from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions show a growing crisis: more than half of the 45 sexual offense cases reported in the last four months involve children.
Dr. Sevenants says children under the age of 11 often carry the trauma into adolescence, which is why early education is crucial.
“What is key here is that we start to educate children of Fiji about what sexual abuse is, and we have to start from a young age. We have to teach them about good and bad touches. What is a good touch by a teacher, by a pastor, by anybody, and what do they have to do if they identify bad touch?”
Dr. Sevenants says children need to learn these needs from as early as five-years-old so they can understand their rights and report abuse.
Minister for Children Sashi Kiran says most offenders are people the victims know, including relatives, neighbors, and even teachers and church leaders, and communities must do more to protect the vulnerable.
“We have approached the churches to see that when they are preaching, if children can also be the focus, we are reaching out to communities, so we are developing women’s forums around the country where if people see a child at risk, they will be able to protect the child.”
The increase in sexual offenses against children is no longer just a concern; it’s a proven crisis. Of the 242 victims recorded last year, 152 were minors.
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