Apenisa Waqairadovu 
UNICEF Child Mental Health Specialist Dr. Koen Sevanants is warning children that if someone gives gifts, calls them special, but asks for secrets or touches them in strange ways, then it’s not love, its abuse.
Dr. Sevanants says these are grooming tactics used by predators, who are often people the child already knows and trusts.
He highlights that over 95 percent of global child sexual abuse cases involve a familiar person commonly a trusted adult or relative.
Dr. Sevanants warns that predators are calculated and often use abuse methods that don’t leave visible scars, making it difficult for police to gather physical evidence.
“So when this happens in middle childhood, between 5 and 11 or 12 years old, these people, they are not stupid. They don’t leave traces or scars that police can find. They use abuse methods that don’t leave marks. And at the same time, they’re manipulative.”
Dr. Sevanants says what’s even more concerning is that some children are silenced by their own families when they try to speak up.
He explains that many victims only realize they were abused during adolescence and if their voices are ignored, they often spiral into depression or suicidal thoughts.
Last month, five children were sexually abused by family members in separate domestic cases—a shocking reminder of the crisis within Fijian homes.
Dr. Sevanants stresses that community vigilance, early education, and safe reporting channels are essential to breaking the cycle of abuse.
Stream the best of Fiji on VITI+. Anytime. Anywhere.
