Police Order Investigations into Alleged Parental Negligence
The Fiji Police Force has directed investigations into alleged parental negligence following the death of two children in less than a week.
Police are growing increasingly concerned with the reports of children becoming victims of tragic deaths and crime.
A two-year-old boy of Lomanikaya Village, Vatulele, is a victim of an alleged drowning after he was found floating in the sea on Sunday afternoon.
It is alleged that the young boy had left his home unaccompanied and was later discovered floating 15 metres away from his home.
Yesterday, the father of a four-year-old boy discovered the body of his son floating near the shore at Naceva Village in Beqa.
The victim had accompanied another relative to clean their boat when it is alleged he was told to return home. He was found some time later floating near the shore and attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.
Investigators into the alleged attempted rape of an eight-year-old girl in Savusavu in November last year is underway.
Police will be questioning the child’s parents for negligence as to why she was allowed to walk to the shop by herself.
In a statement yesterday Police said they had always stressed the need for parents to prioritise the safety of their children. Its last resort was to add onto the suffering endured by a parent or guardian by laying charges of negligence in the event a child loses his/her life or becomes a victim of crime, the statement added.
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