-=END HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN FIJI=-

Save a life.

Human Trafficking in Fiji: Blindly Fighting the Shapeless Monster.

By - Amanda Kloer.

categories:Child Prostitution, Child Trafficking, Sex Trafficking And Prostitution

Published February 03, 2010 @ 07:00AM PT

Every year, the U.S. State Department releases a Trafficking in Persons report which rates countries on their efforts to combat human trafficking. Each week, I'll be providing a brief glance at human trafficking in one of those countries, based off the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report, with my own (often snarky) analysis added. This is just a snapshot of what's going on in the country. For more information, you can check out the full text of the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report here.

This Week's Country ... Fiji

Basic Info

The U.S. State Department ranks Fiji on Tier 3, meaning they wouldn't know a trafficker if he sailed up to their shores on a massive luxury yacht having public sex with children he bought for prostitution (which, incidentally, actually happened when I was working with an NGO based there). Fiji isn't working to prevent trafficking, protect victims, or prosecute traffickers, and they aren't making an effort to change their ways. In fact, Fiji wasn't even ranked for the first several years the State Department was producing their report because of the complete absence of any information coming out of the country. Because of the general lackadaisical attitude of the government, Fiji is a source and destination country for trafficking victims, both internationally and internally.

So does Fiji have the political and economic stability to truly tackle trafficking? Saying Fiji is a small country with limited resources is like saying Gilbert Arenas waving his gun around in the locker room wasn't his best career move. But similarly resourced countries have found ways to at least indicate their desire to work on the issue. Lots of places, including the U.S. government, give capacity-building grants. But first Fiji has to prove it wants to end trafficking, despite what may be a tiny economic dip.

Who Are the Victims and What Are They Doing?

As with many poor countries with large tourism sectors, children are Fiji's largest population of victim. Fijian children are trafficked into the commercial sex industry, sometimes by family members. Hotel staff, taxi drivers, and nightclub staff have all been known to procure children for prostitution. In Fiji, poor families will often informally adopt their children to wealthier families living near good schools. This tradition leaves those children vulnerable to both forced domestic servitude and sexual abuse. Adult women are also forced into the commercial sex industry in Fiji. To a lesser extent, men and women may be trafficked into Fiji for factory work.

Where Are They Coming From and Where Are They Going?

While a significant portion of trafficking in Fiji is internal, Fiji is a destination country for women trafficked from China, Thailand, and India, mostly because of the large tourist population. Women migrating voluntarily from China and India to Fiji have also found themselves forced into sweatshops and other labor sectors.

What's Gotta Happen?

Fiji needs a whole lot of work at the most basic levels. First of all, they need a national understanding of what trafficking is and how to fight it. Right now, Fijian NGOs and the few people working on anti-trafficking efforts are blindly fighting a monster whose shape that have yet to define. It's a battle that can't be won. Additionally, Fiji needs to develop a strategy to identify trafficking victims and perpetrators. They then need to enforce the existing laws against those perpetrators. Fiji also needs to address the rampant sex trafficking which takes place in the tourism industry and the child sex tourism that surrounds it. No one has the right to buy a child for sex, even if that person is a rich tourist staying at your hotel.

Photo Credit: Christian Haugen

Please checkout the link below for further detailed information.

http://humantrafficking.change.org/blog/view/human_trafficking_in_f...

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Cakaunitabua Princess on February 4, 2010 at 4:07am: is this really happening in Fiji.............there was once a rumour of the boogeyman in Fiji children gone missing out of the blue but then they showed up and it was being said that there was no such thing..............what about hte dip chand case is it related????since the gals were never found again; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by tsle@ on February 4, 2010 at 6:23am: N.B Plese refer to Haiti incident involving naive church group from Idaho, US.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Benza on February 9, 2010 at 12:56am: One thing 4 sure regards average Yatchtsor super yatchts;well equipted and if they want to they can come and go,in fact they are pickig well to do tourist via ineternet transactions at Marina and wherever with no tax man around,we not so up to date to taccle their abuse of our beaches and Customms,talking about youngters..you add..well we have stepped up border controll.

Overall its a stable enviroment,economically,socially and qaqalogy I guess.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kasanita Kamakorewa Lindell on February 9, 2010 at 1:07am: what is 'qaqalogy' ? @ Benza.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Benza on February 9, 2010 at 12:31pm: OK OK Lindell sorrytravelling 20 yrs back..A once was popular joke about two coz (shuldnt b long)fishing/ or probably diving near a reef..one out from school,one was just kicking around the vllg(with the vllg hens)
Schl boy full of stories...loose his footing,scream out to vllg coz..tavale au sa ciri(dnt knw to swim)

Quiet tavale ..at that place choose to sit back..matter of factly..replied "Osa lako sara i vuli,vosa va vavalagi,Biology na Chemistry na qo na qo...qori tagi tu' sega mada ga ni kila na cava na qaqalogy...hee! hee!

The cue is that much issues are still hidden out there with the vllg hens...:)

22-77; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kasanita Kamakorewa Lindell on February 9, 2010 at 2:40pm: oh ok... LOL!!!

oops...sorry Benza (so that was qaqalogy/swimology as in biology), I get it...thanks! :); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tamai Darlene on February 9, 2010 at 3:10pm: Ena gauna qo e Tolu ga na i vurevure levu duadua ni Lavo ena noda vuravura ka rawarawa ka totolo sara na nomu taura.Matai na Prostitute,karua na Drugs kei na kena i katolu na Human Traffic se volitaki Tamata.

Kasa iko sa rogoca na i talanoa kei Dip Chand

E tukuni ni a labati rau na veitacini yalewa mai rakiraki ena wasawasa vaka Malake.Tukuna ki na mataveilewai ni a tatalaka na yagodrau qai viritaka vei ira na Qio.Vakabauti ni lasutaki kece.Ra lako mai na kena dau mai valagi me vaka na CSI mai Merika,dau nunu mai NZ kei na vuqa tale.Ka ra nunuva kece na Malake passage.Ka sega na kena i vakadinadina ena loma ni wai bau kina na loma ni waqa ni a caka i kea na veita se so na vakadinadina lalai ni DNA.sega vakadua.

O koya e volitaki rau na veitacini e na dua nai Ota ka ra dau tatakoso tiko mai ena Vatu i Ra Passage kei na Navitilevu Bay via Nananu i Ra.

Kena i vakadinadina bula ga.Ni curu ga i vale ni veivesu o Dip chand.Dua na tacina sa dolava nona bisinisi ni volitaki Ika ka cakacaka vaka middle man.Nona Lorry e cici tiko ena veisiga kece mai rakiraki me yaco ki Lautoka.Dola tale ga e dua na nodratou Sitoa ena nodratou i tikotiko.Ratou vaka i Varo ni Kau tale ga.

Kila ka samitaki ga ni lavo kece ya e a rawa mai ena nodrau a volitaki o rau na veitacini yalewa.O Dip Chand a dua tu ga na dau qoli ena ka vakaitikotiko ena yasayasa vaka rakiraki.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by MTN...a.k.a red rose..lol on February 9, 2010 at 3:57pm: wahahahaahahhaha........ ka jina sa la T.Pain, vaka e rogorogo vinaka mai nai talanoa mai yasayasa vaka Ra.......kailaaaaaaaaa.....qarauni iko la T.Pain, de yatovi iko tale o Dip,qai o volitaki mai vaya i Javani ehehehehehehe..........!!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by MACAKE on February 9, 2010 at 4:28pm: MEU KURIA GA NAI TALANOA YA.....ENA GAUNA RATOU SE LALAI KINA O TAMADRAU NA GONE YALEWA BAU DAU CAKAVA TOKA E SO NA KA RARAWA VI DIP CHAND.

SU VAKABAUTA NI SA BUCINA MAKAWA JIKO O LA NA QO NA I TOVO KO MAI KITAKA TU QOKA.

IA O IRA NA QOKA TERI CEGU RAWA NA YALO...SAGAI SA LA ME SAUMI; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Cakaunitabua Princess on February 10, 2010 at 12:09am: keya kau ga yani o iko bond instead of those 2 gals................baleta sa rui sivia na tamani gone lomani site qo..............lols........................wailei ko tau bond; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by J.Tui on February 20, 2010 at 7:16pm: Tamai Darlene, vinaka nai talanoa? sa dina au taleitaka na nomuni vakamacala taka toka na wasawasa mai noda? vinaka vakalevu.

Sa dua na ka vakaloloma, sa dina nai LAVO? e tiko kina e dua na kaukauwa levu.

Anyway Trafficking.......na leqa mai noda, sega tu noda Border Security? Airieal watch, sega na i lavo me raica na vanua bibi qori.

When we talk trafficking its an universial issue, one that our little island nation is so vulnerable to it, because what I have outline above, but on the other hand however our people have got to be
educated through schools, homes, the church, etc, etc, .......money is involved here, many overseases so call students have come from Asian Countries, ended up on prostitution on Sydney street are caught-up in the underworld slave trade of human exploitation, many time died as they try to escape it life/style of sex, amd; drugs.
Vinaka.
JT.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kate MT on February 9, 2010 at 4:36pm: Vinaka Tamai Darlene nai talanoa.....yeah I heard about it too. Io m sure it's really happening, isa ko vt.; ▶ Reply to This