Reconciliation no substitute for justice, GCC chair warns

Reconciliation should not be used as an alternative to the application of court justice.

Great Council of Chiefs chairperson Ratu Viliame Seruvakula said this yesterday while responding to queries about the incident that occurred at Galoa Village, Serua, last weekend.

Ratu Viliame said while the seriousness of the case warranted Police involvement, leaders must also ensure that parties meet and go through traditional apology ceremonies such as the veisorosorovi or bulubulu.

“In acts of criminality such as the one described in your report, the families can approach one another to apologise, but the law must be allowed to take its course,” Ratu Viliame said.

“However, whatever the outcome of the investigation, the families still need to sit down and go through the bulubulu process because life will go on.”

He reiterated the importance of communicating with children and guiding them to prevent such incidents.

“Youth behaviour reflects how they are raised. We must reflect on where we went wrong and correct it through dialogue and love,” he said.

However, Fiji Council of Social Services executive director Vani Catanasiga offered a differing view, saying that if reconciliation is involuntary, the process becomes performative.

“We must stop labelling life-threatening violence as ‘pranks’ and start holding perpetrators, and the systems that allow this behaviour, accountable,” Ms Catanasiga said.

Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran said it was essential to report matters to Police when parents or guardians believed a child was being threatened or harmed.

“Protect the child first. Every adult, every leader and every parent has a duty to protect our children and to act when they are at risk,” Ms Kiran said.

“We call on community leaders — turaga ni koro and chiefs, talatala and i vakatawa — to stand with the family, ensure their protection and send a clear message that intimidation and violence against children will not be tolerated in any community,” she said.