Recommendations of the Children's Forum in Fiji

Summary: 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. The event was preceded by a one-day Children’s Forum held on 24 September 2005.

VAC in the home

• Educate parents on CRC, and provide counselling for parents on the effect of violence on their children.
• Promote public awareness of the importance of good role models in the home and that violence in the home sets a bad example to children.
• Provide more resources to social welfare and other concerned agencies for research on status of VAC in the Pacific.
• See that funds and other resources provided to social welfare are properly used to support and counsel children.
• Provide counselling services that can be accessed independently by children, such as a Help Line.
• Educate children more on CRC so they know their rights and can seek help if necessary.
• Provide a channel for reporting cases of child abuse.
• Support CRC with legislation to ensure that CRC is implemented.
• Implement legislation to ensure all children of school age attend school full time.
• Set up community support groups to ensure the welfare of children in families.

VAC in Schools

• Break the cycle of violence: workshops should be organised reminding teachers, parents and children about children’s rights.
• Use of violent words and verbal abuse should be prohibited in schools; among students, teachers and anyone else in the school.
• Prohibit all forms of corporal punishment in schools.
• Establish peer support groups to work with trained counsellors to encourage children to seek help with their problems.

VAC in the Street/Community

• Provide a support service for street children to learn and understand their rights.
• Provide an emergency hotline for children.
• Implement and enforce stricter Occupational Health and Safety laws to prevent hazardous child labour, including a minimum working age.
• Increase surveillance by Ministry of Labour to prevent hazardous employment of children.
• Increase and enforce the minimum age of marriage as 18.
• Increase parents’ awareness of their responsibilities in child-rearing and their understanding of what constitutes neglect.
• Legislate to ensure that parents provide sufficient and adequate supervision of their children (eg a minimum age at which children can be left unsupervised).
• The police should increase surveillance and enforce laws to prevent children accessing narcotics.

CSEC and CSA

• Increase penalties – i.e. duration of sentence - and instigate immediate enforcement of penalties for sexual assault offenders.
• School principals should be aware of children’s vulnerability and alert to ensure that no children are being sexually abused.
• Provide counselling for teachers to prevent sexual abuse in schools.
• Stronger laws should be put in place to deal with child sexual abuse, with harsher penalties for perpetrators and better care for children who are victims.
• Set up a Children’s Rights Commission to ensure comprehensive investigation of sexual abuse (and other forms of abuse) against children.
• Sexual offenders should receive counselling as part of rehabilitation.

VAC in contact with the law

• Ensure that a responsible person, such as a social worker, a parent or a lawyer, is present whenever a child is being interrogated by authorities.
• Provide separate detention facilities for offenders under the age of 18.

Other cross cutting issues

• Children should be encouraged to speak freely on issues affecting their lives.
• Increase awareness of the harmful effects of psychological and verbal abuse of children – e.g. insulting, shouting at, abusive language, humiliation, unkind gossip.
• Ensure that children have a safe environment (at home, in school in the community).
• Governments, NGOs and faith-based organisations should provide counselling support for parents, and classes in parenting skills.
• Governments should keep their promise to implement CRC.
• Parents of disabled children should have free access to special support and counselling services and advice on how to care for their children.