SUVA, Aug. 19 — The Fijian Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection has been intensifying a crackdown on child street work and loitering. Minister Sashi Kiran told the news website Fiji village that the practice is both illegal and morally unacceptable, citing Section 8 of the Minor Offences Act, which makes loitering punishable by up to three months in prison. Child street vending has long existed in Fiji’s urban centers. An inter-agency taskforce has been patrolling hotspots in major cities of Suva, Lautoka and Nadi. Children are offered showers, meals, and counselling before being taken home.
Xinhua
