A Fijian abuse survivor is urging the new head of the Catholic church to adopt a zero tolerance policy for child sex abuse.
Felix Fremlin was seven years old when he was molested by a New Zealand Marist Brother at his primary school in Suva.
Although he had received a written apology and FJD$15,000 (approx US$6,680) in financial compensation from the Marist Brothers Order of New Zealand and the Pacific, Fremlin said it’s not enough.
Speaking to Pacific Waves, Fremlin said culture and faith prevents many people in the Pacific from speaking out.
“It’s a Pacific island thing, everybody looks upon the church as messengers of God, and so for people to talk about it… it’s a taboo thing,” he said.
Seeking mental health support is also a struggle for Fremlin.
“So here, we don’t have any specialists where survivors can go to for counselling. The church here has offered counselling…
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