The children are the future of the nation, says a DAV Girls College teacher and advocate for banning child abuse, Savneel Sangeet.

The 26-year-old school teacher who advocates for children’s rights and reducing child abuse made a statement last November when he walked around Viti Levu to create awareness on the issue.

Mr Sangeet said his motive was to educate people on the child’s rights and create awareness for the future of Fiji.

“Last year in November, I walked around Viti Levu which took me about eight days to complete and educate people on child abuse after seeing the number of child abuse rate in Fiji,” he said.

“We had 1077 cases report of child abuse and sexual assault which very high.

“This year in April, I will talk the walk around Vanua Levu trying to create awareness for our children.

“With the help of my teammates, I manage to walk around despite the long days of walk and tiring nights.”

He said as a school teacher, he had come across a lot of cases of his students that were going through the trauma because of child abuse.

“It has been a culture in Fiji before that a child has to be disciplined on the point of stick or abuse which is not true,” Mr Sangeet said.

“These children are our future and they cannot be at risk to be traumatised or assaulted.

“We live in the 21st century and need to transform our children with modernised ways.

“As a teacher, I have seen children go through difficult times which have a lot of impact on their academics.

“We should always try to build a better relationship between parents and children so that our children can feel secure and safe at home, at school and everywhere they go.”

Edited by Rusiate Mataika

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