TWO children are the latest rape victims in the country.
According to police, the two children aged four and six years were allegedly raped by a 41-year-old man on an island last month.
Police spokeswoman Ana Naisoro said the incident was reported to police on Saturday and the suspect was now in the custody of police on the island for interrogation.
Ms Naisoro said it was alleged that between 10am and 11am on January 27, the suspect had unlawful carnal knowledge with the two children while they were playing inside their kitchen.
She said the mother of the six-year-old was doing some chores outside their home when she heard her daughter screaming.
Upon enquiring, she said, the mother was told by her daughter that she and the four-year-old were both allegedly sexually abused by the suspect.
"The suspect is now in the custody of police for interrogation and for his safety until the completion of the investigations," she said.
"As investigations continue into the matter, the incident has once again sparked a warning that these crimes will not be condoned and those who continue to prey on our children will be brought to justice.
"A more concerted approach is needed to weed out this social ill as stated by the Commissioner of Police.
"This is an issue of morality which the police are ill-equipped to handle on their own," said Ms Naisoro.
SATURDAY: 2nd Feb
Rape victim
Nanise Loanakadavu
Saturday, February 02, 2013
A NINE-month-old baby is the youngest rape victim in Fiji.
This was revealed by the National Co-ordinator of Children Abuse and Sexual Offence within the Fiji Police Force, Detective Inspector Salaseini Vakatuturagani.
And the force has described the incident as "shocking" saying for the first time, a baby was the victim of rape in the country.
Ms Vakatuturagani said the incident occurred in one of the outer islands last year.
She said the matter was reported to the police after the baby was taken to the hospital for a check up when she could not stop crying.
Ms Vakatuturagani said the perpetrator, a 39-year-old man, was in custody.
Commissioner of Police Brigadier General Ioane Naivalurua, however, admitted that last year was not a good year.
"Even this year, we have reported 10 cases of rape in January alone," Brig-Gen Naivalurua said.
He has called on church leaders to step on board and work with them because cases of sexual offences continue to be a concern to the police despite repeated reminders and warnings issued to the public.
"This is really the element of morality within the families but the intervention and approach cannot be done by police alone," Brig-Gen Naivalurua said.
"The church is well armed to handle this," he said.
Ms Vakatuturagani said a 79-year-old man was the oldest perpetrator of sexual crimes while a 10-year-old was the youngest. The case with the 10-year-old was reported in the beginning of this year.
Meanwhile, Fiji Women's Crisis Centre deputy co-ordinator Edwina Kotoisuva said the incident was a total abuse of power and trust. She said a lot of men in society nowadays were taking advantage of those who were vulnerable.
Last year, police recorded a total of 2980 sexual crimes.
Police statistics revealed the southern division recorded the highest at 1217 cases; followed by the Western Division — 758 cases; and then Eastern Division — 556; the Northern Division — 373; and the lowest received at Totogo of 76 cases.
Of all these sexual crimes, offences against public morality topped the list with 2153, and rape and attempted rape followed with 448 cases.
A few of the many that are in the papers. (The above are taken from Fiji times online).
It is sickening to read about these cases.
Parents to take extra caution when it comes to their children. But there are also incidents where close family members have violated the trust of these individuals.
