27 Oct 2008

NGO calls for community-wide approach on child prostitution in Fiji

8:19 pm on 27 October 2008

The organisation, Save the Children, in Fiji says the country needs to adopt a whole-community approach to curb child sex prostitution and abuse.

A 2006 report by the organisation showed an increase in prostitution among girls and boys, and a decrease in their age.

Its chief executive officer, Chandra Shekhar, says the report caused shock at the time, but more needs to be done to tackle the problem successfully.

"So far, I don't think there has been any major effort put in to curb the problem and we would like to see a taskforce set up to handle this situation and interagency corporation that has to be put in place so that the problem can be curbed and the children kept save. That's the initiative that we are taking now."

Chandra Shekhar says parents, schools and government agencies must also join the effort.