Increased number of children loitering and children selling to earn an income on Suva streets

By Silina Baro

Thursday 15/08/2019

There is an increase in the number of young children loitering on the streets in Suva and also those who are selling to earn income for their family.

Many children have been seen in the middle of the night.

This has been confirmed by the Ministry of Women and Children after an operation last month, where they found 15 children selling food on the streets.

The Ministry says most of these children have been reunited with their parents but there are still 4 children that the task-force is continuously working with to link them back with their families and relatives.

In situations where they cannot be placed back with families, the Ministry has worked with NGOs and faith based organizations who are providing temporary shelter for some of the children.

37 children were profiled for the 2018/2019 financial year and the children and their parents are going through counseling.

The Ministry says it has taken a caring and compassionate approach to address the challenges of those children found wandering, begging and selling on the streets of Suva.

The Ministry encourages parents and guardians to invest their resources, time and efforts towards the education of their children so that the child does not become a victim of crime or any incident.