The Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Veena Bhatnagar officiated at the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) Periodical Report Workshop in Suva. This workshop was attended by the Senior Officials of the Ministry for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation and representatives from UNICEF.
While speaking to the participants, Assistant Minister Bhatnagar highlighted that this is the first workshop to assist the Ministry in compiling the State report.
"Today, we also reflect on yesterday’s achievements and identify key goals moving forward, for the betterment and welfare of our nation’s future leaders. I encourage everyone to participate, discuss, unpack, and learn in order to achieve our task”, she said.
The Assistant Minister thanked the participants for their tireless efforts in this area of child protection whereby they implement the obligations that the Fijian Government has made by ratifying Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the various local policies and legislations that guide and mandate services to children.
“As a people, as a nation we have made a commitment to make children’s rights a reality and in doing this, we are indeed accountable for the actions and steps that we have taken, ought to take and fail to take to fulfilling these commitments”.
Fiji ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1993 declaring Fiji's obligation as a nation to promote and protect children’s rights – the full spectrum of rights under the Convention.
"We have even progressed as a nation to sign and ratify two of the three optional protocols pertaining to the CRC which are (1) Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography and (2) Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. Fiji being a signatory of the Convention on the Rights of a Child (CRC) means we are accountable to the United Nations in ensuring Fijian children have adequate access to their rights under the CRC. Children have the right to be protected from abuse, exploitation and intimidation and to live in an environment that is free of abuse and offers them safety."
"The Fijian Government’s initial report was submitted in 1996 and the first dialogue with the CRC Committee took place in 1998. The 2nd-4th periodic report was submitted in 2011 to which the dialogue was in September 2014. The 5th-6th periodic report is due in October 2022 and Fiji will be the first Pacific Island country to report using the new Simplified Reporting Procedure (SRP). "Under the new SRP, the CRC committee sends the State party a request for specific information, known as List of Issues Prior to Reporting containing up to 30 questions. The response to these questions will become the Government’s State Party Report to be submitted by October 2022,” Assistant Minister Bhatnagar explained.
She mentioned that this workshop aims to review the list of issues from the CRC committee and provides an opportunity for the key Ministry focal points to identify key sources of information for the Ministry to assist in the drafting of the report. "The outcomes of this workshop goes beyond the CRC periodical report. This workshop is a great opportunity to reflect on our key achievements, progress and challenges over the years. This is an opportunity to discuss and share on our experiences and learn more to become more effective, strategic, and successful in the work that we do for all children in Fiji. Consultations, workshops, and validations are scheduled to take place between this month to September in the Central, Western, and Northern Divisions. This is to ensure that relevant stakeholders participate and contribute meaningfully to this important process”, Assistant Minister Bhatnagar said.
On behalf of the Fijian Government, Hon. Bhatnagar acknowledged UNICEF for providing the technical support to the Ministry and assisting in activities such as the review of legislations and policies, providing specialized training on child protection and technical assistance on the compilation of the CRC periodical reports.
“The support and assistance has helped in improving the welfare of all Fijian children while also, continuing to improve our services to ensure that we provide the best for the members of the public.
“We acknowledge the considerable steps made by the Government of Fiji towards recognising that the right interventions at the right time can bolster development, break intergenerational cycles of inequity and provide a fair start in life for every child,” said UNICEF Pacific’s Representative, Jonathan Veitch.
“While a lot has been achieved, a lot more still needs to be done. This will only be possible if we work together in providing all children, an environment that is safe and free from discrimination and harm. UNICEF is proud to be a partner to the Government on this journey.”