Mosese Raqio 
UNICEF Pacific Deputy Representative Roshni Basu says new findings reveal that child hardship in Fiji is far more widespread and far more interconnected than previously understood.
Basu says the challenges affecting children span essential needs such as housing, clean water, nutrition, protection, early learning, and education.
She stresses that these issues rarely occur in isolation, but instead overlap in ways that create serious barriers to a child’s development.
The UNICEF Pacific Deputy Representative says this means progress in one area alone is not enough, and Fiji must pursue coordinated, cross-sector solutions if it hopes to meaningfully support all children.
She noted that Fiji has already taken strong steps, including free primary and secondary education, strengthening child protection systems, expanding social protection programs, and advancing key legislative reforms.
However, Basu says the next phase of action will determine whether children truly benefit.
“So there is a lot of overlap in these kinds of neglect that children are facing today in the country in different sectors like in rural areas, among others. It also means that for us as UNICEF, and I know that for the ministry, it means having to work across different government sectors with different partners because we cannot just fix a nutrition issue or a health issue or a protection issue, it all has to come together.”
The report further recommends expanding research on children’s health and nutrition to ensure no child is left behind.
Basu adds that when a child is unable to access nutritious food, clean water, or a safe place to sleep, their future is taken from them before it even begins.
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