The United Nations has welcomed Fiji's ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography.
.. Photo: Supplied/Save the Children
This Optional Protocol deals with serious violations of children's rights, including sexual exploitation for purposes such as prostitution and child abuse, as well as the sale of children for forced labour or transfer of organs.
It complements the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Fiji ratified in 1993, and addresses the transnational nature of such crimes.
The head of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in the Pacific, Sheldon Yett, says Fiji's decision will further guide and strengthen its commitment towards better protecting children.
Yett said this would also provide Fiji with the opportunities to live and grow in a safe, protective environment.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Fiji is party to all nine-core international human rights treaties and has assumed the obligation to guarantee to all individuals all human rights.
OHCHR Regional Representative, Heike Alefsen, said she would be pleased to see measures put it into practice in Fiji.
According to Save the Children, violence against Fijian children is the standard in 72 percent of households.
In its latest report, Child Rights Situational Analysis, Save the Children found that rates of child sexual abuse was alarming with one in five girls having experienced sexual abuse before they reach the age of 15.
The report also found that the commercial sexual exploitation of children, commonly referred to as the worst form of child labour, was evident in Fiji and mostly affected girls aged 13-17.
The OHCHR said it looked forward to Fiji's further engagement with the treaty monitoring committees by submitting any overdue reports.