Fiji Launches First National Child Safeguarding Policy to Enhance Child Safety

Fiji has launched its first-ever National Child Safeguarding Policy, setting a new national benchmark for child safety across all sectors of society. The new policy ensures that all services involving children are delivered in a safe, respectful, and child-friendly manner. It outlines concrete measures for institutions and organisations to prevent harm, including a mandatory Child Protection Code of Conduct, child-safe recruitment and vetting processes such as criminal background checks, and tailored risk mitigation strategies. The launch came amid growing regional concern about child protection across the Pacific, where cultural taboos, limited resources, and underreporting have often left cases of abuse hidden or unresolved.