The Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Rosy Akbar has expressed shock and disappointment following the 30-month imprisonment sentence handed down to a 30-year-old man charged with buying minors under the age of 18 years for immoral purposes.
“As the Government Ministry that is mandated to look after the care and protection of the children of Fiji, it is an absolute disbelief that such a lenient sentence is given to someone who knowingly and deliberately violates the safety, protection and innocence of our children”.
Minister Akbar also emphasised that Fiji is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Children (CRC) and the Ministry is doing its best through legislations and policies to address the safety and protection of all children.
“This sentence sends a wrong message and is a slap on the face of all the good work that is being done by the Ministry, Civil Societies, NGOs and Religious Organizations have been done in the area of child protection. Such leniency in sentencing offenders does not help out efforts and does not provide adequate justice to the victims."