Prosecute traffickers: IMO Chief to Fiji

Despite the development of a National Action Plan to address human trafficking, Fiji still needs to increase prosecutions and efforts to tackle human trafficking crimes, according to the head of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in the South Pacific.

To observe World Day Against Trafficking in Persons yesterday, IOM Fiji led a panel discussion on human trafficking with officials from agencies on the frontlines of this issue.

IOM Chief of Mission and Sub-regional Coordinator for the South Pacific, Solomon Kantha, in an interview, emphasised the need for more progress in dealing with perpetrators and providing support to victims.

“Unless we get prosecutions done, unless we begin prosecuting perpetrators, we will still continue facing the same challenges with trafficking in persons,” Mr Kantha told this masthead.

Fiji is currently on the Tier 2 Watch List, after the U.S. State Department’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report in 2024 downgraded it due to the Fiji Government’s failure to increase its overall efforts to combat human trafficking, including identifying victims and initiating sex trafficking investigations.

“A lot has to happen, such as building awareness in communities to report cases, building the capacity of our own law enforcement and prosecuting cases,” Mr Kantha added.

Officials could not provide the latest available data on human trafficking cases in Fiji.

However, the officer in charge of the Human Trafficking Unit at the Fiji Police Force, Beni Nasamu, noted that the number of cases was “very low”.