Lack of government funding, religious and cultural barriers and drug use contribute to escalating human rights violations against children.
Sera Sefeti/Suva, Fiji
Pacific island children are experiencing “alarming” violence and abuse, amongst the highest rates in the world, amid a lack of government-funded services, religious and cultural barriers and growing drug use.
Seventeen nations meet this week with civil society groups and stakeholders in the Fijian capital Suva for the inaugural Children’s Wellbeing Summit, as reports of human rights abuses escalate.
More than half the population of the Pacific islands region is under the age of 24 but a lack of accurate and comprehensive data was highlighted at the summit as an impediment to understanding the enormity of the situation.
UNICEF Pacific’s representative Jonathan Veitch emphasised the severity of the crisis at the summit, co-hosted with the region’s Pacific Islands Forum inter-governmental body.
“The levels of violence, abuse, and neglect of Pacific children are among the highest in the world,” Vietch said. “The statistics we have been discussing over the last few days are alarming.”
“Despite the beauty and richness of the Pacific region, our girls and boys face significant challenges that threaten their well-being,” he added, calling for greater regional collaboration and resource-sharing to strengthen child protection systems.
“It is not only the right thing to do but also the smart thing to do. The impact of child protection on a country’s economic and social development is significant.”
UNICEF’s ‘When Numbers Demand Action’ report released last October estimated one-in-three, or 6 million, women in Oceania had experienced contact sexual violence before the age of 18.
Papua New Guinea has the region’s largest population, with an estimated 12 million people.
PNG’s National Office for Youth and Family Services acting director Jerry Wap echoed UNICEF’s alarm, citing government neglect of support services and law enforcement.
“Over the years, there has been a lot of violence against women, children, and young girls,” Wap told BenarNews. “It’s unacceptable and goes against our culture and traditions.”
“PNG is a big country, but we only have 5,000 police officers. That is not enough to protect our people. On top of that, we have tribal wars and increasing alcohol and drug abuse,” he said, adding his office has only one protection officer in some provinces.
Wap said the lack of reliable statistics was a major challenge in addressing the issue and data from government departments, churches and NGOs needed to be collated to get a “true picture.”
PNG conducted a Census last year, the results of which are highly anticipated after the last credible one was in 2001, but it has been criticized for failing to meet many basic international benchmarks.
“It is very important to have a national database,” he said. “The government needs to invest in this area.”
With a growing young population, the need for action and to place children at the heart of the Pacific’s regional priorities is seen as ever more urgent.
Acting PIF Secretary-General Desna Solofa told the summit children should be central to the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
“We must invest in their future by providing them with the opportunities, support, and safe environment they need so they reach their full potential,” she said.
The United Nations Human Rights Council’s four-yearly review of summit host Fiji in January highlighted a litany of issues.
A U.N. report found Fiji was failing to fully implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child, highlighted a “prevalence” of child abuse and neglect, and recommended actions to end child marriage, prostitution and labor.
One of the summit’s most striking presentations was by senior economist Simon Halvey, from consultancy Cornerstone, outlining the financial cost to Fiji.
A Cornerstone report for UNICEF found violence against children in Fiji alone costs an estimated FJD459.8 million (US$198 million) annually, equivalent to 4.2% of the country’s GDP.
Halvey said that prevention was not only a societal obligation but a financially sound investment.
“I was blown away by that presentation. It made me realize the economic benefits of investing in child welfare,” Kiribati’s Minister for Women Ruth Cross Kwansing told BenarNews.
She acknowledged her nation has work to do, particularly in breaking the cycle of violence perpetuated by males.
“In Kiribati, we have a saying that translates to ‘our children are our hearts.’ Once our parents, especially fathers, start to understand the effects that abuse has on our children, they will realize the difference between tough love and discipline,” she said.
The shortcomings of faith communities in providing safe spaces for children was also acknowledged by the Pacific Council of Churches.
“The power, trust, and responsibility of faith communities have been abused by some leaders,” said PCC general secretary James Bhagwan. “There have been instances where we have failed. In fact, we have been responsible.”
Bhagwan said the Convention on the Rights of the Child was important, but Western rights-based, legal frameworks can be difficult to navigate in the Pacific.
“It can be very technical and heavy on the head,” he said.
“A holistic approach means we like to use the head, the heart, and the hands; that means using human rights (the head), spiritual faith (the heart), and traditional culture, indigenous knowledge, and wisdom (the hands).”
Stefan Armbruster in Brisbane contributed to this report.
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