SUVA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1141 cases involving child neglect, sexual and physical abuse of children, child labour, and teenage pregnancy were recorded by the Child Services Unit in the last 10 months in Fiji.
Child Services Unit Assistant Director Ela Tukutukulevu said Friday out of the 1141 cases, 616 are females and 525 are males and that child neglect still tops the list, Fiji Broadcasting Corporation's news website reported on Friday.
"So we continue to receive cases from January, now that we have come to the end of the year, the cases are received through the referrals of our partners especially the Fiji Police Force, Ministry of Education and also our medical officers and other agencies that refer the cases to us."
Tukutukulevu said 280 cases involved children between the ages of 16 to 18 and 273 cases involved children from 0-5 years old.
She said failure to report child cases is a crime and those convicted are liable to pay a fine of 5000 Fijian dollars (about 2307 U.S. dollars).
Violence against women and children in Fiji is recognized to be a pervasive and serious national issue.
Fiji's rates of violence against women and children are among the very highest in the world.
According to The Fiji Women's Crisis Center (FWCC), 64 percent of women who have been in intimate relationships have experienced physical or sexual violence from their partner.
