Investigations are continuing into the alleged abuse of four students at a school in Fiji.
Police said the matter was reported to them by parents of three of the students last week.
.. Photo: File
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Police said the students claimed they were stripped naked and chillies rubbed on their mouths and private parts.
The students, in year nine and 10, also claimed they were assaulted because they had left the school premises without permission.
Four staff have since been suspended by the Education Ministry pending the police investigation.
Meanwhile, the country's human rights commission said it had also launched its own investigation into the alleged incident.
Commissioner Ashwin Raj said it's important the students are not subjected to further victimisation and trauma.
In a statement, Raj urged the media to "respect the rights of the students to heal with dignity in the privacy of their homes and in the custody of their parents".
Corporal punishment is a criminal offence under Fiji's Constitution, he said.
Raj said those responsible for the alleged acts of gratuitous violence must face the full brunt of the law.
He said the commission will prioritise counselling for the students whom he added are too traumatised to take their exams next week.
Mereseini Vuniwaqa Photo: Twitter/ @fijirepublic
Child abuse figures 'alarming'
The government said the abuse and neglect of children in Fiji is growing at an alarming rate.
The latest government figures showed 870 cases of child abuse and neglect were recorded between January and July this year.
According to the Ministry for Children, about 500 girls had been subjected to physical and sexual abuse, neglect and teenage pregnancy.
Its Minister Mereseini Vuniwaqa said a total of 1,452 cases of child abuse and neglect were reported last year.
Launching the revised inter-agency guidelines against violence in Suva, Vuniwaqa said the statistics are telling.
The agencies include police and the ministries for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation; Education, Heritage and Arts; Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations; Health and Medical Services; and iTaukei Affairs.
We need to revamp the way that we protect and care for our children, she said.
"It tells us that we need to be more innovative in the way that we deal with child abuse and neglect.
"It also tells us that we are continuing to fail as parents, caregivers or as persons and organizations who have been entrusted with the safety and wellbeing of children."
Education Minister Rosy Akbar condemned the alleged incident.
Akbar said inflicting harm and subjecting children to inhumane and degrading treatment was worrying.
She said there was zero-tolerance for breach of the ministry's code of conduct.
She said staff are responsible for the children's safety and well-being
The minister said if found that they breached the ministry's policy, the staff would be disciplined.
Shairana Ali is the chief executive of Fiji NGO Save the Children. Photo: Save the Children
Child advocate 'disturbed' by claims
Confronted by the rise of child sexual abuse in Fiji, NGO Save the Children said it was deeply disturbed by the reports of alleged child abuse.
Its director Sharaina Ali said such acts should not be happening in the first place.
"It's quite concerning and the root cause is people's moral values and people's lack of respect for children's rights," said Ali.
"At no point a child should be hit. There shouldn't be any issues where a child is physically abused or abused emotionally or mentally.
"There shouldn't be any instances of that because teachers are now being trained to discipline children using alternative means and they are in a position were they can talk to the children in a positive way."
Ali said the key to tackling the problem is prevention.
She said Save the Children is working with other stakeholders to address the issue.
She said there was a need for police, the government and civil society organisations to commit to ensuring children are protected.
"The government launched the inter-agency guidelines last week and these should help all stakeholders prevent child abuse and neglect in Fiji.
"The six agencies will work with other implementing partners which include the faith-based and civil society organisations.
"The goal is to ensure the guidelines are being implemented in the various agencies and staff are being trained."
Ali said if the students' claims prove to be true, the law must come down hard and fast on those responsible.
"There should more harsh penalties meted out by the courts to these offenders. Everyone should be held accountable."
Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox
Shamima Ali of the Women's Crisis Centre has welcomed separate investigations by the police and the human rights and anti-discrimination commission.
Ali said the abuse of children at schools has been going on for a long time.
She said it's the 21st century and such abuse of children is continuing.
"In our culture, there's a thing called sili rokete and children have been punished in that manner by having chillies rubbed on their private parts.
"We have police torture, it's a form of torture in prisons and so on.
"It should not happen anywhere but for it to happen in schools in this day and age is totally unacceptable."
Shamima Ali said the full brunt of the law must be taken against anyone found responsible for the alleged inhumane treatment of children.
"We have to stop beating up our children," she said. "We have to stop punishing them physically and being violent towards them.
"And this is like the Pacific culture - spare the rod and spoil the child. We haven't really moved away from that."
Ashwin Raj. Photo: Supplied