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There are growing concerns about children being exposed to sexual content, highlighting the need for parents and guardians to understand where these behaviours are being learned.

This was highlighted by Assistant Minister for Women and Children, Sashi Kiran while responding to queries about the rising number of juveniles being charged with sexual crimes.

Last year, 31 juveniles were charged with sexual offences, with the youngest accused being a 13-year-old.

The Assistant Minister highlights the challenges in addressing this situation.

“It’s hard to map moral decay, but we do know that an increasing number of children are now involved with drugs. We know an increasing number of children unfortunately have access to pornography.”

Kiran emphasizes the crucial role of parents in monitoring their children, as reports of alleged sexual abuse have also been flagged this year.

“Last term we had found, and there were reports of children being sexually abused in school, for example. So parents need to keep an eye on their children at the end of the school day. Being able to ask and empower them on how to report these sorts of things.”

The Fiji Council of Churches General Secretary, Reverend Simione Tugi, stresses the importance of parental monitoring while children use electronic gadgets.

“Telephone is the biggest demon in our place, our homes, whereby the kids have a lot of energy, they want to try new things, so they catch a lot of things there, and there’s a lot of things they learn from the peer groups.”

Reverend Tugi states that increased awareness, vigilant monitoring, and proactive education are essential steps to ensure the safety and well-being of children