A study carried out in Fiji has revealed that fifty percent of all rapes in the country have been committed by the victims’ relatives.
This has been revealed in a joint survey carried out by the Save the Children Fiji and the International Labour Organisation.
Save the Children Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children project officer, Adi Melania Tibika said the survey involved 104 sex workers and participants where the results showed that fifty percent of the victims knew their assailant or where related to them, 29% were acquaintances while 14% of the assailants were someone they knew and seven percent were strangers.
Tibika said this rubbishes claims that most assailants or alleged rapists are strangers adding the importance to start teaching children from an early age on their rights.
She goes on to add that parents should realise that young children are most vulnerable because they have been taught to always listen to adults and never question their authority.
She added that this is evident in the sudden increase in the number of sexual offences against children that was reported in 2008 where there was only 54 cases, compared to the number of reports in 2009 which was 116 cases.
Meanwhile, Police have revealed that for the first 3 months of this year there were 77 cases reported with the number expected to increase.
Story by: Paradise Tabucala
