Editorial: People and girls going missing is alarming

Fiji is seeing a worrying rise in missing persons reports, with teenage girls increasingly among those unaccounted for.

Behind every case is a family left in distress, searching for answers, often with limited urgency, communication, or follow-up from the system responsible for responding.

This is not unique to Fiji. Around the world, missing teenagers are often linked to family conflict, mental health challenges, peer pressure, online grooming, and exploitation through digital platforms.

Many are classed as runaways, while others fall victim to crime or coercion. What is clear internationally is this: speed saves lives.

Countries with stronger systems use rapid alert tools to share missing person information through police, media, and mobile networks within minutes.

Others rely on coordinated action between police, schools, and social services to locate vulnerable young people quickly. In many cases, children are found within 24 to 48 hours; a critical period.

Fiji, however, still relies mainly on traditional re­porting and reactive updates. While police follow set procedures, families continue to raise concerns about delays in follow-up and limited communication after reports are filed.

At the same time, Fiji Police Crime Stoppers listings show new cases each week, including a worrying number of teenage girls aged 14 to 16. While some are later found safe, the pattern is now difficult to ignore.

The risks are shaped by modern realities - social media use, online grooming, peer pressure, and lim­ited supervision in both physical and digital spaces. These are real and present dangers.

Beyond systems and policing, there is also a wider social question; what is shaping the values of our young people?

Many communities once relied on strong family structures, cultural teaching, and spiritual ground­ing to guide children through life. These values, sup­ported through faith, culture, and parenting, helped shape discipline and personal responsibility.

Today, that support is weaker. As families become more stretched and children spend more time online, guidance at home is under pressure. Strengthening moral and spiritual grounding, along with active par­enting and community support, can help build resil­ience in young people.

However, responsibility cannot rest with families alone. A coordinated national response is needed; one that brings together police, schools, health ser­vices, and communities into a faster and more effec­tive system that prioritises urgency and communica­tion.

Fiji does not need to reinvent the wheel. It needs to act faster and treat every missing child or person as an emergency, not just a report. Because behind every case is a child, a daughter, a son or a mother. And behind every delay is a risk that may already be too late.

Feedback: naisak@fijisun.com.fj