The Assistant Minister for Social Protection Sashi Kiran says that the majority of street dwellers identify as i-Taukei.
In a statement, Kiran highlighted this during her recent meeting with the Ministry for i-Taukei Affairs Ifereimi Vasu – Kiran has stressed the need to refrain from attributing blame only to teachers and the police, as they neither bear exclusive responsibility for the issue nor possess a solitary solution.
Kiran said that there is an urgency of delving into the underlying root cause of this issue.
Drawing attention to the concerning trend, Kiran pointed out that today, people often pass by street dwellers who may be family members or members of their village community, choosing to ignore these individuals.
The Assistant Minister questioned how society can collectively take responsibility for their fellow kin who are living on the streets.
This initiative forms a part of the ministry’s profiling endeavour, conducted in coordination with the Fiji Police Force, aimed at gaining deeper insights.
The Operation Lesu Ki Vale Taskforce, Kiran states, is collecting data that breaks down information by ethnicity and gender for the profiled individuals living on the streets.
Minister Responsible, Vasu assured Kiran that programs launched by the Ministry of i-Taukei Affairs could effectively complement the reintegration strategies proposed by other entities.
