Minister for Women and Children Lynda Tabuya. [Source: Fiji Government/ Facebook]

Minister for Women and Children Lynda Tabuya says the 2022 statistics for serious sexual offences are frightening.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions had released the data, saying that 322 people were charged with 768 counts of serious sexual offence in 2022.

Responding to the statistics, Tabuya says what is even more frightening to note is that the youngest accused person was a 12-year-old boy while the youngest victim was a 3-year-old girl.

The Minister says this is very alarming and calls for more urgent action from everyone, including the government, non-governmental organizations, and members of the public, to address this issue.

She says any form of violence against women and girls are human rights violations.

She adds that her Ministry will continue to advocate for equal opportunities and the empowerment of women and girls.

The Minister has also pleaded with all Fijian men and boys to help stop the heinous crime because men are viewed as protectors.

Tabuya is also calling on parents to monitor the activities of children while they are using phones to ensure that they are not accessing adult sites.

She claims that pornography is considered a contributing factor to the increase in sexual offences committed by young Fijians.