Suva, Fiji, 3 April 2025 – A staggering number of
Pacific children, some as young as five, experience abuse,
neglect, and mental health challenges both in and out of
school. Strengthening child protection mechanisms in schools
will enhance capacity to manage risks to children, ensuring
their safety and well-being wherever they may be
affected.
Representatives from the education systems
of 11 Pacific Island countries have come together for a
two-day Regional Conference on Counselling and Child
Protection Policy in Schools this week. They are
collaborating and sharing resources to address gaps and to
overcome challenges in prioritising a safe, protected school
environment.
They are also focusing on creating
quality inclusive and accessible child protection policies,
ensuring these translate into concrete actions within school
communities.
Rates of violence against children in the
Pacific remain among the highest in the world and is
evidenced in all the countries in the region where the
Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey* and other research
projects have been conducted so far. In Fiji and Nauru, 81
per cent of children aged between 1-14 years have
experienced violent discipline, while the number increases
to 91 per cent in Samoa.
“With high
rates of violence and abuse in the region, safe schools with
quality counselling and strong child protection systems are
critical,” said UNICEF Pacific Representative,
Jonathan Veitch. “Urgent action is needed to
strengthen support systems and ensure that every child
receives the protection and care they deserve within the
school environment.”
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The 11 Pacific
Island Countries participating in the conference include
Fiji, Nauru, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga,
Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Republic of Marshall Islands, Federated
States of Micronesia, and Palau.
This regional
conference is part of UNICEF’s contribution to the PacREF
partnership, which is funded through support from the Global
Partnership for Education, Government of New Zealand, and
the Asian Development
Bank.
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Notes:
*Multiple Indicator
Cluster Survey (MICS)
MICS is an international
household survey programme developed and supported by
UNICEF, designed to collect estimates of key indicators that
are used to assess the situation of a country’s
population, particularly the children and women.
It is
the largest source of statistically sound and
internationally comparable data on children worldwide and
covers the largest number of Sustainable Development Goal
indicators (40 out of 80) that can be sourced from household
surveys.
Over the past 75 years, UNICEF has played a
leading role in highlighting progress as well as inequities
in the realisation of children’s rights through these MICS
surveys.
Since its inception more than 400 MICS
surveys have been implemented in 120 countries globally,
including 8 here in the Pacific region.
About
PacREF
The Pacific Regional Education
Framework (PacREF) is a regional policy guide endorsed at
the Forum Education Minister Meeting (FEdMM) in 2018 for 15
Pacific Island country members. PacREF is focused,
demand-responsive and built on the need to develop the
region’s capacity to deliver high-quality education
services. PacREF has a long-term policy agenda with specific
outcomes:
- Identify shared
challenges - Develop solutions to address those
challenges - Improve student outcomes and
well-being - Build the capacity of our Pacific
education institutions - Maximise our shared
resources
About
UNICEF:
UNICEF works in some of the world’s
toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged
children. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for
every child, everywhere, to build a better world for
everyone.
