3 days ago
Two juveniles indicted for sexual offences in Fiji in May
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123RF
Warning: distressing content
Two juveniles are among 10 people indicted for sexual offences in Fiji's High Court in May.
Fiji's Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has released its May update on serious sexual offences and it makes tough reading.
It relates to the number of formal indictments filed in the High Courts of Fiji by the Director of Public Prosecutions throughout the month.
Ten accused persons have been charged with 30 counts of sexual offences, including 17 cases of rape and nine of sexual assault.
There were 10 victims, six of whom were under 18. Eight were female and two male.
Incidents highlighted in the report included a 16-year-old boy charged with six counts of rape of his 9-year-old nephew.
In another case, a 14-year-old boy was charged with two counts of rape of his 12-year-old sister.
There were seven incidents where the victims and the accused were related to one another.
Another incident was a 52-year-old man charged with two counts of indecent assault, eight counts of sexual assault and two counts of rape of his 18-year-old niece.
Statistics from the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre show that, from January to September last year, it had 530 new visits for counselling.
This included six reported cases of rape, three of attempted rape, six of sexual assault and 19 of child rape.
The centre's coordinator, told
in April that
90 percent of women do not report the domestic violence they endure at the hands of their partners, lovers, or husbands
.
