Over 300 child abuse cases reported in Fiji in 2013

Over 300 child abuse cases have been reported in Fiji last year to the country's Ministry of Social Welfare, local news website Fijivillage reported Monday. Under the Child Welfare Decree mandatory reporting, 312 child abuse cases were reported from January to October, with 57 cases of teenage pregnancies followed by eight cases of child abandonment. Among other cases were physical abuse, child neglect, emotional abuse, child labor, parental conflict and malnutrition, and the highest number of cases were reported from the Pacific island country's northern division. To curb child abusing, the Ministry of Social Welfare has been working on a new child helpline which can also be used to report child abuse cases, said the report.