When Parents Kill: An Analysis of Filicides in Fiji

Abstract

Despite the burgeoning literature on filicide, little research exists on parental murders in small, non-Western societies. This study adds to the scant extant information and contributes to a full understanding of the topic by examining offense patterns and victim and offender characteristics in the South Pacific island of Fiji. The findings indicate that filicidal parents were overwhelmingly female, young, and of low socioeconomic background. Filicide offenses were the culmination of excessive corporal child-control strategies, unwanted pregnancy, and stresses and strains associated with severe marital disharmony. Posthomicidal suicide attempts occurred in 10% of the cases. These findings are discussed in relation to the growing literature in the field. The author concludes that further research in other societies is necessary if we are to understand the full range of factors that contribute to parents’ homicidal assaults on their offspring.