81% of children face violent discipline at home, says Justice PS

More than eight out of 10 children in Fiji experience violent discipline at home, a reality that permanent secretary for Justice Selina Kuruleca says must urgently change if Fiji is to raise a healthy citizens.

Speaking at the public dialogue on corporal punishment at the University of the South Pacific in Suva yesterday, Ms Kuruleca cited the 2021 UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, which revealed that 81 per cent of Fijian children face some form of violent discipline, through physical punishment or psychological aggression.

“That means most of our children grow up learning that fear and love can co-exist, but the danger is, they begin to believe that the two must always exist together,” Ms Kuruleca said.

Ms Kuruleca, a psychotherapist, warned that corporal punishment damages a child’s emotional and cognitive growth.

“When a child is struck, even lightly, the brain registers danger, and learning stops. What looks like discipline on the outside is, inside the brain, a shutdown of curiosity and trust.”

She said research showed that physical punishment led to long-term harm, anxiety, aggression, and depression, and offered no positive benefits.

“When we normalise violence as discipline, we create citizens who see violence as communication,” she said.

However, Fijian Teachers Association (FTA) has pushed back against framing all disciplinary measures as violent. Association general secretary Paula Manumanunitoga said there’s “a thin line between violence and discipline”.

“When these researchers conduct their surveys, is it just termed as violence? Let parents take full responsibility for how they bring up their children,” Mr Manumanunitoga said.