Save the Children Fiji is currently implementing a one-year project titled “Ending Violence Against Children in Fiji” (EVAC) in one of the six selected communities in the Western Division, generously funded by Women’s Fund Fiji. The main objective of this project is to ‘protect boys and girls from all forms of violence within families and communities.

‘The EVAC Team conducted community awareness sessions over the past two days which included Child Safeguarding (CSG), Child Participation, and Children are a Precious Gift from God (CPGG) training. The project team collaborated with key stakeholders who actively participated in the community training held in Lovu (sea-side) settlement, Lautoka.

During the Child Safeguarding and Child Participation Training sessions, officers from the Ministry of Women, Children & Social Protection and the Fiji Police Force, Western Division, worked hand-in-hand to comprehensively cover the Child Protection Laws in Fiji with the training participants from this community. The Child Protection Laws discussed included the Juvenile Act, Crimes Decree, and Child Welfare Act. Awareness conducted on these Acts facilitated discussions and highlighted child protection issues specific to this community, covering topics such as different types of abuse, categorization of sexual offenses, abduction, defilement of children, incest, abortion, and infanticide.

Moreover, the Divisional Juvenile Officer, Western, and Training Officer, in collaboration with the Ministry of Women, Children, and Social Protection – Child Protection Officer, Western Division, provided insights into the latest statistics of Juvenile Offenses in the Lautoka district. The session concluded with further dialogue on establishing a safety net for children in the Lovu community.

The sessions conducted by stakeholders successfully engaged 17 adult participants from this community and concluded on Thursday, 8 February 2024.