Fijian health officials believe teen pregnancy is a "national emergency", and the government is forming a special taskforce to address it. Photo: Supplied/Save the Children
Warning: This story discusses graphic details of sexual abuse.
Alarming levels of child abuse and rape are driving underage pregnancy in Fiji, prompting the nation's high chiefs to take a hard line on sex offenders.
Health officials believe teen pregnancy is a "national emergency", and the government is forming a special taskforce to address it.
Children under five are being abused and girls as young as 10 are getting pregnant, according to government statistics.
The nation's Assistant Health Minister Penioni Ravunawa told parliament last week that almost 500 minors fell pregnant between January and May this year.
Ravunawa said teenage pregnancy was rarely about choice, adding that "too often it is about rape, incest and abuse".
He told Pacific Waves that illicit drugs, gender-based violence, overcrowding, poverty and pornography are behind the surge in numbers.
He said incest and rape is forcing girls into motherhood and and the effects on them is far-reaching.
"There's a stigma and shame that they carry with them, they are unable to complete their education, they have a new-born to bring up and and it's a burden for the family as well," he said.
He said the victims end up trapped in a cycle of poverty.
"This is a health issue and a social justice issue, that intertwines with HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STI's) child sex abuse and gender-based violence, leading to severe poverty."
Ratu Viliame Seruvakula is the GCC chair. 29 February 2023 Photo: Facebook / Ministry of iTaukei Affairs
'Put a stop to this disgusting behaviour'
The Great Council of Chiefs (GCC) - Fiji's apex indigenous body - has called for stiffer penalties for sex offenders.
GCC chairman Ratu Viliame Seruvakula said customs should not be used to shield criminals.
"In the case of rape, you are taking away the innocence of a child, the dignity of the child," he told Pacific Waves.
"If we use traditional apologies and kava sharing (between the parties involved) people will just go don't worry, after this we'll have a couple of bowls and everything will be fine. No, you've got to put a stop to this disgusting behaviour."
Seruvakula believes traditional rituals are being misapplied at the village level.
"They have been abused or misused I should say, and I think it's due to a misunderstanding that one of the preconditions of the reconciliation process is that it can be used to replace the statutory system. It can't."
He said traditional bylaws work for minor offences, but need to be reassessed.
"In the village setting in Fiji, the village is private property. If the police want to go an arrest somebody from the village, there's a certain protocol they have to go through," he explained.
"We would like to open that up a bit to allow the judicial system to be applied."
The Fiji Solicitor-General's Office is reviewing bylaws and looking at ways to enforce the law at village level, he added.
Sashi Kiran Photo: Facebook.com / Parliament of the Republic of Fiji
Children's minister says 'neglect is increasing'
Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran said there were 755 cases of child sex abuse last year, and 29 involved infants.
Kiran said parental absence plays a significant role in child abuse and unwanted pregnancy.
"Child neglect is increasing, children are growing up in different families, their parents are occupied in work, or there are shifting populations, marriage breakdowns. When children are looked after by others, generally the risks are increased."
Child neglect made offending much easier for sex offenders, she said.
"There needs to be much more awareness about child protection because neglect is a big part of it. If you're not keeping an eye on your child then its easy for predators to pounce on them."
Kiran said rural communities are begging for help.
"When we go into the rural areas I am constantly being told, largely by the women, that they need much more support on gender-based violence and child sexual violence."
"I think the country as a whole knows we need to do much more to protect our children," she said.
Ravunawa believes a joint approach is needed to tackle sex crimes.
"It is something that the whole of society and the whole of government need to work together on with the iTaukei hierarchy, with our communal system, to advocate."
His message to parents is to protect their children, and to communities not to hide behind abuse.
He also urged churches not to condemn victims.
On Wednesday, the Fijian government launched the country's first-ever national safeguarding policy for all organisations dealing with children.
Helplines:
If you are in Fiji and you or someone you know is in need of support you can freecall:
- In the event of a life threatening incident call the Police Emergency number 917.
- The Child Helpline on 1325
- The Domestic Violence helpline on 1560
- The Lifeline Fiji on 1543
