UNICEF welcomes Fiji’s passage of the new Child Care and Protection Act as well as Child Justice Act, commending the Government’s efforts to strengthen the child protection system.
The Child Care and Protection Act includes the establishment of a Department for Children within the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection, prioritises prevention of violence, and creates new criminal offences in response to emerging threats children face in the digital age, such as online grooming. The Child Justice Act promotes rehabilitation of children in conflict with the law and ensures that child-sensitive proceedings will be used throughout the justice system.
“We congratulate the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection for this significant milestone which reflects a clear commitment to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international standards on child protection,” said UNICEF Pacific Representative, Jonathan Veitch.
“UNICEF is proud to have supported the development of these Acts. We will continue to work closely with the Government to ensure full and effective implementation of the new legislation.”
Child abuse, including sexual abuse, is all too common in the Pacific, with 34 per cent of girls experiencing childhood sexual abuse, and in Fiji alone more than half of all reported cases of sexual violence are committed against children. Given the high levels of child mistreatment as well as many emerging challenges children are facing in Fiji, these long-awaited acts are essential to bring about change.
The Acts reaffirm the right of every child to a safe and protective environment, while also focusing on children living in vulnerable and marginalised situations. They provide guidance on how Fiji can develop and implement long term safety measures to protect children from violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation – including on online platforms.
The Acts provide a solid basis for Fiji to invest the required resources needed to halt the rise in child abuse. The new legislation provides the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection the mandate to lead the necessary cross-sectoral collaboration, including with the health, justice, and education sectors, to prevent and respond to violence against children.
Implementation requires a whole of society approach, with the government, as well as civil society, faith-based, cultural leaders and parents all involved, to ensure that these Acts are translated into concrete action and real change for children.
Sufficient resources are required for building the capacity of the social service workforce, the justice sector, and multi-sectoral services for children such as mental health. Donors and other partners will all be invited to engage.
Investment in prevention and response makes economic sense, as evidenced by the recently completed study on the Economic Costs of Violence Against Children in Fiji, showing violence against children costs Fiji 4.2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product.
