Permanent Secretary for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Dr. Josefa Koroivueta

Child negligence tops the list of Child Welfare Statistics with 197 cases recorded from January to October this year.

This alarming statistic is a concern for the Social Welfare ministry.

Permanent Secretary for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Dr. Josefa Koroivueta says they deal with these cases daily which are then referred to relevant agencies.

These agencies include the Police Force, the Health ministry and other stake holders to assist the children affected.

It could be for family conference, it could be for child custody whereby the state can step in and take full custody of the child, we doing all these in the best interest of the child, or to basically find a shelter or a home for the child. For example in a case of violence and the setting is quite unfavorable to the child, maybe the child is with the perpetrator for that matter , we have to get the child out.

Dr. Koroivueta says these cases can be reduced if parents, the ministry and other relevant agencies work together and take a holistic approach.

The ministry recorded a total of 696 child abuse cases which includes 300 males and 396 females.

These cases also involve 133 children below the age of 5.