Violence against children is one of the gravest human rights violations of our time. It robs children of their safety, dignity, and opportunity to thrive, and it undermines the very fabric of families and communities. In Fiji and the Solomon Islands, as in many countries, violence against children (VAC) is widespread and persistent.
For us, as development practitioners, child advocates, and economists, the urgency of the problem is clear. Yet in public finance and policymaking circles, child protection is often underfunded, perceived as a moral obligation whereas it should be seen as an economic necessity. We know that prevention and protection are not just the right thing to do, they are also smart investments in national development.
This conviction sits at the heart of this project, commissioned by UNICEF Pacific. Our aim was to produce the first comprehensive economic analysis of violence against children in these countries, laying the groundwork for a compelling investment case for child protection.
By quantifying the cost of inaction, we sought to generate evidence that speaks directly to government ministries, finance officials, and policymakers: every dollar not spent on protecting children now will translate into multiple dollars lost – through reduced productivity, greater health costs, increased demand on welfare and justice systems, and the erosion of human capital.
Why This Project Matters
The 2015 Solomon Islands Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) revealed alarming rates of violent discipline: 85.5% of children aged 2-14 years experienced some form of violent discipline, with 77.9% subjected to psychological aggression and 68.3% experiencing physical punishment. Violence is not confined to the household. The Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS, 2011) found that 67% (Solomon Islands) and 30% (Fiji) of students aged 13-15 years reported being bullied, 53% (Solomon Islands) and 34% (Fiji) were involved in physical fights, and 68% (Solomon Islands) and 48% (Fiji) were seriously injured as a result of peer violence in the preceding year.
These figures make clear that violence is pervasive, cutting across rural and urban areas, rich and poor households, and children of different ages. It is both a public health crisis and a child rights emergency.
A pressing need for investment
Despite the scale of the problem, child protection budgets in Fiji and the Solomon Islands remain limited. Government allocations to prevention and response services are modest compared to the magnitude of need. With constrained fiscal space and competing priorities in sectors such as education and health, child protection is often seen as secondary.
Our project responds to this reality by reframing the debate. Instead of positioning child protection as solely a moral imperative, we argue that it is also an economic imperative. Without action, the economic costs of violence will continue to grow, undermining national development and prosperity.
Our Role in the Project
UNICEF Pacific commissioned us to lead this pioneering study. Our role was to design and carry out a robust economic analysis that could:
- Quantify the direct and indirect costs of violence against children in Fiji and Solomon Islands.
- Provide an evidence base for advocacy and policymaking.
- Strengthen government capacity to understand and budget for child protection.
- Support the development of an investment case that could guide long-term financing decisions.
We brought to the project a combination of technical expertise in costing and economic analysis, practical experience in social sector financing, and a commitment to participatory processes. This meant not only applying rigorous economic methods, but also engaging government ministries, civil society, and frontline practitioners in the design and interpretation of the study.
Our task was not just to produce numbers but to tell a story; one that connects the lived realities of children and families with the macroeconomic consequences of policy inaction.
Impact
The study provides Fiji and the Solomon Islands with a powerful new tool: an economic lens on violence against children. By making visible the financial consequences of violence against children, we equip decision-makers with evidence to justify increased investment in child protection.
Our work contributes directly to:
- Policy advocacy – providing UNICEF, civil society, and government champions with evidence to argue for budgetary prioritisation of child protection.
- Resource allocation – helping the Ministry of Finance and line ministries to assess the return on investment of preventive and responsive services.
- Legislative implementation – supporting the rollout of the Child and Family Welfare Act (2017), which requires adequate resourcing to be effective.
- Capacity strengthening – enhancing the ability of local institutions to integrate costing and economic analysis into policymaking.
Looking ahead, the findings will feed into broader regional efforts to strengthen investment in child protection, aligning with global initiatives such as the INSPIRE strategies.
Through this project, we have shown that child protection is not an optional extra. It is an investment in today and the future, one that yields dividends in healthier, more educated, more productive citizens, and in stronger, more resilient families and communities.
We are proud to have worked with UNICEF Pacific and the Governments of Fiji and the Solomon Islands on this pioneering study. Our hope is that the evidence generated will help shift the national conversation from “Can we afford to invest in child protection?” to “Can we afford not to?”
