Social Welfare Worker Says Child Eating Noodles Often Is Negligence

Children eating noodles five days a week is considered child negligence, says Sen­ior Welfare Officer, Sevanaia Tui­wasa.

He made the comment while ad­dressing women of Oinafa Vil­lage in Rotuma during the Rights, Empowerment and Cohesion (REACH) project awareness pro­gramme at the village on Wednes­day.

He works for the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Al­leviation.

“If you see a child eating noodles often, you should know that you have the authority to report it to relevant authorities,” he said.

A number of women from the vil­lage had asked the social welfare questions about the reporting sys­tem in Fiji.

Mr Tuiwasa said there were many stakeholders involved in re­porting cases.

It includes teachers, health work­ers, law enforcement officers and even villagers who may feel that a child has been abused at home.

He said the identity of villagers would be kept a secret to ensure their safety.

Sexual Offences Officer, Unani­si Mateiwai, said stakeholders would be taken to task if they re­vealed the names of those that re­ported the matter.

She said there were houses in Fiji that were stoned because of the breach.

“I always say that it takes a vil­lage to raise a child, so let’s work together to build a community of well-mannered children,” she said.

“We must understand that if we want change to happen in our communities and give our children a better future, we must change today.”

Meanwhile, the REACH project is a partnered programme between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Min­istry of Women, Children and Pov­erty Alleviation.

Funded by the Government of Japan, the project focuses on de­livering multi-sectoral services by Government and non-government organisations directly to urban poor, rural and remote island com­munities across the country.

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