Religious organizations in Fiji are calling for a collective and effective approach to dealing with the increase in young individuals loitering in towns and cities in the late hours of the night.

This issue was highlighted by the Fiji Police Force, which says street crimes are committed by these young individuals.

The religious organizations stand ready to help curb this issue through further dialogues and discussions.

The Methodist Church of Fiji Secretary for Communications, Reverend Wilfred Regunamada, says social issues drive young people away from home and instead end up wandering on the streets.

“Most of them are just kids running away from home. It could be attitude, it could be marriage breakdown, or it could be abuse. I did not go into detail, but there are many other reasons why kids are coming to the streets.”

Shree Sanatan Dharm Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji President Dhirendra Nand says blaming the relevant stakeholders will not solve the issue; however, collective efforts are needed in profiling and dealing with such cases.

“We need to have a headcount of street kids in different towns. We need to get our facts and figures correct so we can identify the hot spot, like which town or which particular area has a high number of kids, so we can target it accordingly.”

Nand adds that advocacy and counseling sessions for youth in communities will be a game-changer.

“We need to bring more public education into this so that the children who attend our sessions are guided, and we need to create safe places for these children to come and confide in.”

These religious organizations are calling on parents to be more open with their children and engage deeply with them regarding the issues they face.