[Photo: File]

The Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission says a stronger support system is needed to ensure families have the resources and information required to provide
proper care.

The call follows the release of the Commission’s baseline study on the rights of children with disabilities, which highlights gaps in support services for families.

Lead researcher Kayt Bronimann says cases of neglect must be viewed in a wider context, including whether parents have access to the necessary information and assistance.

“When we hear these stories of neglect, we have to sort of think about it in a bigger picture. So have parents been empowered, supported, given the information to know how to
care for a child with a disability, to raise a child with a disability? And what we’re hearing is sometimes that’s not the case. So we don’t want to point fingers or blame
parents.”

Bronimann says government agencies, organisations and communities all have a role to play in strengthening support for families.

“We want to think about the wider environment and what can we do, what can the government do, organizations do to ensure that parents are equipped to know how to raise a
child with a disability and that they have the adequate support, maybe through disability allowance or through respite care.”

She says empowering parents with the right support will help ensure children with disabilities receive appropriate care.

FHRADC Commissioner Veena Singh says caring for children with disabilities is a collective responsibility and should not rest only on families.

“I think what we’re trying to get at here is it’s everyone’s responsibility. You know, the parents can do what they can with what is available to them, but also as a
community.”

Singh says greater awareness and understanding of different disabilities is needed to ensure families are not left to carry the responsibility alone.