Migrant workers exploited in Fiji’s key industries, U.S report warns

Workers from South and East Asian countries face exploitation in forced labour across Fiji's construction, agriculture, and timber sectors, warns the latest U.S Trafficking in Persons Report on Fiji.

The 2025 report identified that labor traffickers exploit workers from Bangladesh, India, and the Philippines in small informal farms, factories, and construction sites.

"Chinese nationals employed in Fiji affiliated with China's Belt and Road Initiative are vulnerable to forced labor, particularly in construction," the report stated.

Migrant fishermen from Southeast Asian countries, especially Indonesia, face exploitation on Fijian-flagged fishing vessels through threats of violence, passport confiscation, and debt-based coercion.

The report revealed that approximately 20 percent of respondents to a 2023 prevalence study identified experiencing or knowing someone who experienced trafficking indicators in hospitality, retail, construction, agriculture, and fisheries sectors.

Victims report experiencing excessive working hours, abusive living conditions, contract switching, and unpaid wages.

The Government fined one construction company $10,000 for violating employee regulations following reports of unsafe housing and working conditions, while a trafficking investigation remained ongoing.

The Ministry of Employment, Productivity, and Industrial Relations reported employing 48 labor inspectors dedicated to identifying labor law violations, including wage violations.

However, the report noted that authorities did not adequately report labor conditions at worksites of companies with foreign owners or connections to foreign investors employing migrant workers.

The Government established a monitoring task force to conduct inspections of fishing vessels but did not report conducting any inspections by the end of the reporting period.

A gap analysis study focused on identifying worker recruitment and protection issues in the fishing industry was finalized but results were not published by year's end.

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