Man jailed in Tonga after throwing a child against a wall

RNZ News

19-05-2025

Photo:
123rf
A man has been jailed in Tonga after throwing a six-year-old child - who has a bone growth disorder - against a wall.
Matangi Tonga
reported the defendant pleaded guilty to common assault and causing serious bodily harm.
Justice Tupou said the charges did not reflect what, by his own admission, the defendant did.
"He punched and kicked the child until his mouth bled, strangled him by the throat until his eyes almost fell out and then threw him against the wall. Those in my view are acts of a depraved mind, especially when his victim was a six-year-old achondroplasia child that was no match for him," she said.
"Meanwhile, the defendant - in an attempt to justify his actions - gave three different reasons to different people. He told [the child's mother] it was because her family were gossiping about them; he told the police he was angry with [the child's mother] and while he was trying to calm down he saw [the child's] soiled nappy leak; and lastly, he told the probation officer that he was mad and angry with [the child's mother] for playing with his feelings."
The defendant submitted to court that he had conveyed his apology and regretted his actions; he took responsibility for his behaviour and said he was aware of the consequences, and he had made a vow not to be violent and is taking steps to ensure what happened is not repeated.
But the judge was not convinced.
"I find it unacceptable that he is more concerned about any disruptions to his studies, as a result of his offending, over the damage he may have caused to the vulnerable victim. For those reasons I doubt his remorse."
The defendant was sentenced to two and a half years' imprisonment, with the final 12 months of the sentence suspended for two years with conditions.
It is another chapter in an epidemic of violence in the Pacific.
The United Nations warns that Pacific children face alarmingly high rates of
violence and abuse
, which are among the highest in the world.
At the inaugural Pacific Child Wellbeing Summit earlier this year, UNICEF Pacific's representative Jonathan Veitch said boys and girls in the region face significant challenges that threaten their wellbeing.
He also called for increased regional collaboration and resource-sharing to strengthen child protection systems.
"It is not only the right thing to do but also the smart thing to do. The impact of child protection on a country's economic and social development is significant."
The Samoa Victim Support Group (SVSG) said it has noted
an increase in child victims
being abused sexually and violently.
"It is particularly disheartening to witness young girls, as young as 8 and 9 years old, being sheltered as victims of sexual abuse by their own relatives," it said in a statement earlier this month.
"One such case involves a young girl currently under SVSG's care, who was discovered by a family sleeping in front of their home."
According to SVSG, the girl had been a victim of abuse and felt too frightened to return to her abusive home environment.
"The public was also devastated to hear about the death of a 13-year-old girl who was sexually abused and killed by her own relative at her own home."
Unicef said up to 80 percent of children in Papua New Guinea experience
physical or emotional violence and widespread neglect
.
Last month, alleged cases of domestic violence in Fiji led to
the deaths of three people
.
In November 2024, a
UN Women report stated the prevalence of reported physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence
- taking place in the previous 12 months - was 30 percent in Melanesia.