Human Trafficking in [Fiji] [other countries]Street Children in [Fiji] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Fiji] [other countries] |
Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children Republic of the Fiji Islands [ Country-by-Country
Reports ] The Republic of the Fiji Islands [map]
is made up of a Melanesian island group comprising some 7,000 sq mi (18,130
sq km) located in the South Pacific.
Suva is its capital. Fiji,
endowed with forest, mineral, and fish resources, is one of the most
developed of the Pacific island economies, though still with a large
subsistence sector. Sugar exports, remittances from Fijians working abroad,
and a growing tourist industry - with 300,000 to 400,000 tourists annually -
are the major sources of foreign exchange. |
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CAUTION: The following links and
accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation
in Fiji. Some of these links may lead
to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even
false. No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to
verify their content. Quick Search for Missing Children
- Select Gender, Country (Fiji), and Years Missing U.S.
Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs [PDF] INCIDENCE
AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - Statistics on the number of working children under the age of 15 in
Fiji are unavailable. According to the
Fijian Teachers Association and the Fiji Teachers Union, and based on school
attendance and dropout rates, it is estimated that 20,000 to 30,000 children
work in the informal sector, family businesses and family farms. Children
work in agriculture in Fiji, including in the tobacco sector. Other children, especially those
that are homeless, work in the informal sector and on the streets. Children
shine shoes, collect bottles, run errands for
restaurants, repair cars, and work as domestics in homes. Children on the
streets are susceptible to commercial sexual exploitation and are lured into
the commercial sex industry by both local and foreign adults wishing to
profit from the pornography trade. Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2006 CHILDREN - The government devoted 18
percent of the national budget to education and also worked to improve
children's health and welfare. School is mandatory until age 15, but the
inability of some families to pay school fees and bus fares limited
attendance for some children. There was no significant difference between the
school enrollment rates for boys and girls. The government provided free
medical care for children at public health centers and hospitals, including
immunizations in primary schools. Corporal punishment was common
both in homes and in schools, despite a Ministry of Education policy
forbidding it in the classroom. Increasing urbanization, overcrowding, and
the breakdown of traditional community and extended family-based structures
led to an increasing incidence of child abuse. Multiple reports suggested
that child prostitution increased during the year. Child prostitution was
evident in poverty-stricken urban areas and among homeless urban youth (see
section 5, Trafficking). Urban migration and the subsequent breakdown of
community structures, children from outer islands living with relatives while
attending high school, and homelessness all appeared to be factors that
increased a child's chance of being exploited for commercial sex. Increasing urbanization led to
more children working as casual laborers, often with no safeguards against
abuse or injury. In Fiji some street kids are based
at home, some live in groups, some sleep on benches, in parks, abandoned
buildings or church verandahs. Most
times these kids or adults could be exploited because of their vulnerability. Some people could also gain from the street
people's situation by posing to help them or be "Good Samaritans". He said those who wanted to
establish missions for street people should promote the strengthening and
development of families as a proactive solution. Mr Khan said the increase in the
number of street children indicated the failure of Fiji's education and
economic systems and the lack of social planning in developing a safety net
for them. Another looming issue was
the care and protection of older street persons. Psychotherapist Selina
Kuruleca, who echoed similar sentiments, said there
was an urgent need to monitor those that operated homes for street kids. She said professional counselling
was needed for the street people. SPG and Beggars1 [DOC] Asking the ‘why’ question is a
little more difficult. Why are they on the streets? Why can’t they get a job?
Perhaps we should be asking the more fundamental question: Why is there
poverty? Why is a society like Fiji well versed in
communal living and sharing, and affirmed by the teachings of religion, allow
the cycle of poverty to continue right in our own city? Thematic
Reports - Mechanisms of the Commission on Human Rights The report concludes that, on the
basis of information received, children in Fiji are subject to exploitation
through both prostitution and pornography. The indicators pointing to such
practices are: (a) the escalating number of street children; (b) drug,
alcohol and substance abuse by children; (c) sexual violence, including
incest, suffered by children; and (d) a dependency upon tourism, the negative
effects of which do not appear to have been taken into consideration by the
government. Recommendations
of the Children's Forum in Fiji The Pacific region held a
sub-regional Consultation on Violence against Children in Fiji from 26 until
28 September 2005, that aimed at building on the
outcomes of the Bangkok Consultation in June 2005, while discussing ways and
priorities in addressing the problem in the Pacific context specifically. A
Missionary Amongst Street Children in Fiji In this podcast
you will meet Mark, a Belgian missionary of the Sacred Heart who did pastoral
work with street children for 21 months in Fiji. He will share with us the
pains and gains of living in another country, and the unsurpassable joy of
being able to share God’s love with impoverished children. Statistical
Dimension of Sexual Exploitation of Children Street children in
Fiji are in danger of sexual exploitation and being involved in prostitution
for Western tourists. ("Fiji Kids in Sex Trade", Fiji Times, 29
October 1999, reprinted in Pacific Islands Report) At 17, Alifereti
found himself a job in Nadi but the street was
still home. "When I found a job I was still a street kid," he
said. "It amazes me sometimes to
be working among other people who were also living on the street." Though living on a meagre
income and a limited education, Alifereti dreamt of
a decent life. He finds himself
fortunate to have travelled to other countries
while working on a container ship for nine years. At 59, married with a 25-year-old
daughter, he finds his calling in the ministry a divine one. "People living on the streets have so
much to tell, if only someone cares to listen. "While the people living on
the streets have their own unique story on why fate has dealt them an unfair
hand, most of them claim they have been abandoned by their families," Adi Laufitu said. "They wished their circumstances were
better and they didn’t like what they had become, but they had no
choice," she said Police
monitor kids on the street Police are working with the Lautoka City Council to ensure that street kids are
rehabilitated and kept out of trouble. West police chief Emori
Laqai said his officers in Lautoka
were co-operating with the local municipality to ensure that street kids do
not break the law but are also stopped from using city facilities for
shelter. Senior Superintendent Laqai said while other stakeholders were looking at the
rehabilitation of the kids, it was the duty of the police to see that law and
order was not compromised. SSP Laqai said a committee at
the Lautoka Police Station, headed by the
officer-in-charge Rusiate Saini,
was looking into the issue. He said
the main priority was for the boys not to break the law. The Nadi
Town council wants all street boys off the streets because it does not
support touting. "We want them off our
streets. "Anyone coming in to Nadi to shop should be given space to move freely and not
be harassed or hassled by these street boys.
"Shoppers coming into Nadi don’t need
street kids to be harassing them while they shop. 1.
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Human Trafficking in [Fiji] [other countries]Street Children in [Fiji] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Fiji] [other countries]