Sivaniolo Lumelume 
Minister for Women, Children, and Social Protection Lynda Tabuya highlighted that the annual economic toll of violence against children in Fiji is $459.82 million, accounting for 4.23% of the Gross Domestic Product.
Speaking during the Global Ministerial Summit to End Violence against Children in Bogota, Colombia, Tabuya urged world leaders to shift their focus from reactive measures to proactive, preventative strategies in the fight to protect children from violence.
She highlighted the steps Fiji has already taken in this direction, citing the introduction of the Child Care and Protection Bill and the Child Justice Bill in Parliament.
She explained that these pieces of legislation serve as a mandate for a shift in approach, one that prioritizes early intervention and prevention to create a lasting impact on child welfare.
“We can get trapped in cycles where we believe that all available resources should be channeled into removing a child from the families and communities where they are harmed.”
Tabuya emphasized that the focus should not be solely on removing children from the families and communities where they are harmed because this can cause further cause trauma, especially as children lose the attachment to the people they love.
She reiterated that priorities must be reframed so that early intervention and prevention become the foundation of the investment.
