Fiji's Police Commissioner is pleading for the community to report child abuse, saying it is common and often goes unreported.
Ben Groenewald says he was rung directly by people who witnessed a father acting violently towards his eight-year-old daughter on Sunday.
He says the accused man has appeared in court and has been remanded in custody, while the child is in the care of the Welfare Department.
Mr Groenewald says people have a duty to speak up when they witness child abuse.
"Those people who know about these acts there is an obligation towards them in terms of the Juvenille Act to report this. And I'm pleading to the community that if they hear or see any child abuse they must report it to the police so that we can take action against those perpertrators."
Fiji's Police Commissioner Ben Groenewald.