Shamima Ali says the fact that the perpetrators of child rape and child sexual abuse are getting younger is alarming.
The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre (FWCC) coordinator said the rise could be linked to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing poverty and easy access to pornography.
Ms Ali said she had noted a worrying trend of sexual assault and rape cases involving minors as both victims and perpetrators.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), in its August update, cited cases where 22 minor victims and nine minor perpetrators were identified.
Among the cases was one involving a 16-year-old boy who was charged with two counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and one count of indecently annoying his nine-year-old cousin.
A 15-year-old boy was also charged with one representative count of rape of his five-year-old niece.
Ms Ali said the numbers were worrying, however, the fact that perpetrators were getting younger was alarming.
“We are still seeing a lot of rapes, child rapes, young women, and our numbers have just shot up and that is concerning,” she said.
“So it’s the whole environment – what COVID did, what poverty does, increased militarisation that brings out the macho-ism.
“We also have the internet and pornography readily available and that does create impressions in a patriarchal society which already looks down on women.”
She said such attitudes meant society policed how women dressed, behaved and such things were detrimental.
“Things like that, it’s an enhancer and we’ve seen younger and younger men, boys who are committing these crimes so it’s not a good place.”
