Human Trafficking in [Fiji] [other countries]Street Children in [Fiji Child Prostitution in [Fiji] [other countries] |
Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children In the
first ten years of the 21st
Century - 2000 to 2009
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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. ***
FEATURED ARTICLES *** 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. Nadi wants street kids out This article has been archived by
World Street Children News and may possibly still be accessible [here] The "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. ***
ARCHIVES *** 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 Beggars [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 Thematic Reports - Mechanisms of the Commission on Human
Rights www.hri.ca/fortherecord2000/vol3/fijitr.htm At one time this article had been
archived and may possibly still be accessible [here] The report concludes that, on the
basis of information received, children in Recommendations
of the Children's Forum in Fiji The Pacific region held a
sub-regional Consultation on Violence against Children in 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 www.indianngos.com/issue/child/sexual/statistics/statistics17.htm At one time this article had been
archived and may possibly still be accessible [here] Street children in Couple cares for street kids This article has been archived by
World Street Children News and may possibly still be accessible [here] 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. Street kids secure jobs This article has been archived by
World Street Children News and may possibly still be accessible [here] "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 This article has been archived by
World Street Children News and may possibly still be accessible [here] 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. Nadi wants street kids out This article has been archived by
World Street Children News and may possibly still be accessible [here] The "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. All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE
RESPECT COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT ARTICLES.
Cite this webpage as: Patt, Prof. Martin,
"Street Children - |
Human Trafficking in [Fiji] [other countries]Street Children in [Fiji Child Prostitution in [Fiji] [other countries]