Ministry plans men’s helpline and new facilities for children in need

Fiji's Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection is set to launch a series of new programs aimed at bolstering support for vulnerable populations, funded by a $211.4 million budget. Key initiatives include the establishment of a men's helpline and the development of a rehabilitation facility for street children.

Minister Sashi Kiran highlighted the critical need for these services, particularly noting the rising rates of suicide among men and the challenges faced by boys. The ministry will explore how to best support men through a dedicated helpline, alongside programs for adolescent boys. This focus acknowledges the complex social issues affecting men and young people.

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In some of the new programs that we are working with will be the rehabilitation of the juvenile center and together with the boys helpline or the boys adolescent boys program we’ll also be scoping for men’s helpline to see that how do we support men, more men are committing finishing committing suicide and there are challenges with a boy child and how does it translate to the men.

Furthermore, the ministry will prioritize children's welfare by establishing a drug rehabilitation facility in Lautoka and a rehabilitation center for street children in Suva. A national action plan to prevent violence against children is also being formulated, with plans to fully operationalize the Child Protection Act and the Child Justice Act. These measures underscore the government's commitment to safeguarding its most vulnerable citizens.

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For the children, there is a huge need for a lot of work around children, so we are working on other issues besides the child and protection allowance. We are establishing a drug rehab facility for children in Lautoka and also a rehabilitation for street children in Suva. Together with that, we are formulating our national action plan on the prevention of violence against children and operationalising the two acts, the Child Protection Act and the Child Justice Act. So we have budgets to make sure that we are able to fully operationalise that.