A special fijivillage Straight Talk Public Forum with Vijay Narayan focuses on the theme, Online Safety: Connected and Protected?
Joining the panel are Online Safety Commissioner Filipe Batiwale and Fiji Law Reform Commissioners David Solvalu and Valerie Narain.
WATCH: Special fijivillage Straight Talk Public Forum on Online SafetyBy fijivillage 28/08/2026
A special fijivillage Straight Talk Public Forum with Vijay Narayan on the theme of the forum is Online Safety: Connected and Protected?
The panelists for the public forum are Online Safety Commissioner, Filipe Batiwale, Fiji Law Reform Commissioners David Solvalu and Valerie Narain.
The Straight Talk forum focuses on Online Safety Issues in Fiji, what is being faced by the Online Safety Commission, the feedback from the members of the public during the consultation process on the review of the Online Safety Act 2018, the call for age restrictions for Social Media, the response from victims, the changes being proposed and the reasons behind them amongst other issues.
A special fijivillage Straight Talk Public Forum with Vijay Narayan on the theme of the forum is Online Safety: Connected and Protected?
The panelists for the public forum are Online Safety Commissioner, Filipe Batiwale, Fiji Law Reform Commissioners David Solvalu and Valerie Narain.
The Straight Talk forum focuses on Online Safety Issues in Fiji, what is being faced by the Online Safety Commission, the feedback from the members of the public during the consultation process on the review of the Online Safety Act 2018, the call for age restrictions for Social Media, the response from victims, the changes being proposed and the reasons behind them amongst other issues.
Online Safety Commission calls for stronger laws and adequate budgets to ensure victims get justiceBy Vijay Narayan 01/09/2026
As online harms become more serious in Fiji, the Online Safety Commission stresses that we need to keep up with stronger laws and adequate budgets to ensure the victims also get justice.
Online Safety Commissioner, Filipe Batiwale says one issue being raised by the Commission during the review of the Online Safety Act is whether the Commission should have limited prosecutorial powers for specified offences under the new online-safety legislation.
Commissioner Batiwale says the proposal should be considered on its merits and with appropriate safeguards.
He says he understands why people may be cautious about giving a regulator more powers, but we should also be prepared to ask whether the current system is giving victims the best outcome.
Batiwale says the Commission's proposal would not remove Police from serious online offending or replace the constitutional role of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The Commission is proposing that consideration be given to a specialist pathway for defined offences, with separation between investigation and prosecution decisions, evidential and public-interest tests and appropriate Police, DPP and judicial oversight.
The Commissioner says he is not asking for unchecked power.
Batiwale says they are asking to design a system that makes sense for the kind of cases they are now dealing with.
The Online Safety Commission says Fiji is dealing with more serious and complex forms of online harm, but the institutions expected to respond must be given the laws, resources and technical capability to keep pace.
The Commission says it's annual budget has reduced from approximately $1.5 million to $1.1 million, at a time when the nature of complaints coming through its doors is becoming increasingly difficult.
Commissioner Batiwale says the issue is not simply about the number of complaints.
He says they are seeing more serious complaints now, and these are not always arguments between people on facebook.
Some matters involve children, intimate images, threats, exploitation, fake accounts, multipleplatforms and digital evidence that can disappear very quickly.
Batiwale says this changes the kind of response that is required from the Commission.
The Online Safety Commission received 1,609 complaints in 2025, with more than half involving cyberbullying, harassment or defamatory electronic communications.
About 65 percent arose on Meta platforms, particularly facebook and Instagram.
The Commission says its work increasingly requires more than simply receiving a complaint and contacting a social-media platform.
They say serious cases can require evidence to be preserved, accounts to be identified, complainants to be supported, platforms to be contacted urgently and matters to be referred for criminal investigation.
Commissioner Batiwale says the Commission is expected to do more as the risks become more sophisticated, while working with fewer resources.
A recent reconciliation exercise between the Commission and the Fiji Police Force identified 61 matters that had been referred by the Commission for Police investigation.
The Commission and Police are now working to improve how referred matters are acknowledged, tracked and progressed and how case-status information is shared between the two institutions.
Commissioner Batiwale says complainants should not be left uncertain about what happens after their matter moves from the Commission to Police.
The Fiji Law Reform Commission-led review of the Online Safety Act 2018 has progressed through public and stakeholder consultations and a validation process and is now in its final reporting and legislative drafting stage.
The Commission says it has been contributing its experience of working under the current Act, including the problems faced when dealing with serious complaints, overseas social-media platforms, evidence, Police referrals and emerging forms of technology-facilitated abuse.
Commissioner Batiwale stresses that the review of the Online Safety Act provides Fiji with an important opportunity.
He says we should not go through an entire law reform exercise and come out the other side with the same practical problems.
Batiwale says if the law is strengthened, people should be able to feel the difference when they need help - that means looking seriously at what powers the Commission needs, what Police needs, how matters move between agencies, what obligations platforms should have and how quickly action can be taken when someone is being harmed.
The Commission says it also continues to encounter difficulties when harmful content, relevant accounts or important evidence sit with multinational technology companies operating outside Fiji.
Under the current Online Safety Act, the Commission does not have direct statutory authority to compel global platforms to remove harmful content.
Commissioner Batiwale says that imbalance must also form part of the reform discussion.
He says if a platform is happy to provide services in Fiji and benefit from Fijians using that platform, there also needs to be a reliable way for Fiji to get a response when a child, family or victim is in serious difficulty.
Batiwale says we cannot have a situation where the harm is happening here but the practical ability to respond to it sits somewhere overseas.
Members of the public experiencing online harm can contact the Online Safety Commission through itsofficial complaint channels or call the toll-free assistance line 1548.
Meanwhile a special fijivillage Straight Talk Public Forum with Vijay Narayan will go live at 7pm this Friday September 4th.
The theme of the forum is Online Safety: Connected and Protected.
The panelists for the public forum will be Online Safety Commissioner, Filipe Batiwale, and Fiji Law Reform Commissioners David Solvalu and Valerie Narain.
The Straight Talk forum will focus on Online Safety Issues in Fiji, what is being faced by the Online Safety Commission, the feedback from the members of the public during the consultation process on the review of the Online Safety Act 2018, the call for age restrictions for Social Media, the response from victims, the changes being proposed and the reasons behind them amongst other issues.
You can also be part of the live audience by applying for registration with a question that you would like to ask during the forum.
The application to register details can be found on our website and facebook page, fijivillage.
You will receive a confirmation if you have been selected to be part of the live audience.
Please apply early to avoid any disappointment.
The show will be broadcast live at 7pm Friday September 4th on our Facebook, YouTube and X accounts, fijivillage.
Online Safety Commission receives 960 complaints this year, 65% relate to cyberbullyingBy Karishma Kumari 05/09/2026
The Online Safety Commission has received about 960 complaints so far this year compared to 1,609 complaints last year, with 65 percent of the complaints relating to cyberbullying.Speaking during the fijivillage Straight Talk Public Forum with Vijay Narayan, Commissioner Filipe Batiwale says most of these complaints are being reviewed and assessed, while some have been closed off.
He says most of the cases received involve requests for electronic communications or social media posts to be taken down.
Batiwale says cyberbullying involves electronic communication being used in a way that causes harm or serious emotional distress to another person.
He adds a number of complaints remain unresolved, with one of the major issues being that complainants fail to properly complete and sign the required complaint form.
He says under the current framework, a person making a complaint to the Online Safety Commission is required to complete a form, including providing a signature, as required under the Online Safety Act regulations.
Batiwale says this requirement is sometimes overlooked by complainants and is a major drawback when dealing with complaints received by the Commission.
He says complaints can also involve people being concerned about material posted online about themselves, their relatives or other people concerned.
However, Batiwale says the Commission's current legal framework restricts its ability to assist when the online content is completely unrelated to the person making the complaint.
Insert: Only thsoe affected can make a complaint KK 5th Sept
He says this makes the current framework quite restrictive in terms of who can lodge a complaint with the Commission.
Speaking during the fijivillage Straight Talk Public Forum with Vijay Narayan, Commissioner Filipe Batiwale says most of these complaints are being reviewed and assessed, while some have been closed off.
He says most of the cases received involve requests for electronic communications or social media posts to be taken down.
Batiwale says cyberbullying involves electronic communication being used in a way that causes harm or serious emotional distress to another person.
He adds a number of complaints remain unresolved, with one of the major issues being that complainants fail to properly complete and sign the required complaint form.
He says under the current framework, a person making a complaint to the Online Safety Commission is required to complete a form, including providing a signature, as required under the Online Safety Act regulations.
Batiwale says this requirement is sometimes overlooked by complainants and is a major drawback when dealing with complaints received by the Commission.
He says complaints can also involve people being concerned about material posted online about themselves, their relatives or other people concerned.
However, Batiwale says the Commission's current legal framework restricts its ability to assist when the online content is completely unrelated to the person making the complaint.
Insert: Only thsoe affected can make a complaint KK 5th Sept
He says this makes the current framework quite restrictive in terms of who can lodge a complaint with the Commission.
Further talks expected on social media ban for children in FijiBy Karishma Kumari 07/09/2026
A social media ban for children can be considered as part of the review of Fiji’s online safety laws however, further consultation, particularly with children, is needed before deciding how such restrictions would work.
Speaking on the fijivillage Straight Talk Public Forum with Vijay Narayan, Fiji Law Reform Commissioner Valerie Narain said calls for some form of social media age restriction for children came strongly from parents during their public consultation.
However, there were no clear proposals from the public on what the age restriction should be or what form a ban should take.
She says different approaches are being considered internationally, including complete bans, restrictions during certain hours and daily limits on social media use.
Narain adds they were unable to consult many children during the review process, therefore more consultation would be important if a framework for social media age restrictions is proposed.
When questioned about how authorities could police or monitor a ban if Fiji decided that children below a certain age could no longer use social media, Narain said monitoring this could be particularly difficult because children may access platforms through their parents' accounts and families may share a single device.
She says age-assurance technology also raises concerns because some systems have largely been tested on demographics outside the Pacific.
She says age verification also raises privacy concerns because adults, as well as children, may have to provide information to platforms to verify their age.
Insert: Fiji needs to consider several issues 6th Sept
When asked about what age groups should be consulted if children are to have a say on laws governing their social media use and why those age groups must be consulted, Fiji Law Reform Commissioner David Solvalu said consultations would primarily target teenagers, who are more likely to be active internet and social media users.
However, he says consultation with children would have to be conducted through their parents and most likely educational institutions, with parental consent.
Insert: Creating frameworks that are comprehensive 6th Sept
Solvalu also says the approach being considered is to create a high-level framework through primary legislation, while the technical details could then be dealt with through subsidiary legislation following further consultation.
Meanwhile, Online Safety Commisisoner Filipe Batiwale says technology is effectively the new playground for children, where they socialise, meet friends and access entertainment, and therefore it is prudent to consider their views when designing policies or frameworks governing how they communicate and live in the virtual space.
He says whether it should be a blanket ban must be determined by proper evidence, data and statistics, and that a taskforce is already looking into the issue and working with the Law Reform Commission through the project.
When questioned about how efforts to make online spaces safer could avoid becoming mechanisms for restricting legitimate freedom of expression and whether safeguards would be reflected in the proposed framework, the commissioners said the current Online Safety Act does not specifically contain safeguards limiting the exercise of powers in order to protect legitimate freedom of expression.
They say specific protections for areas including freedom of the press and academic freedom are also not expressly provided for.
They say as they consider a more robust online safety framework, they want these safeguards clearly provided for in the law to ensure there are limits on the regulator's powers and legitimate expression is protected.
A social media ban for children can be considered as part of the review of Fiji’s online safety laws however, further consultation, particularly with children, is needed before deciding how such restrictions would work.
Speaking on the fijivillage Straight Talk Public Forum with Vijay Narayan, Fiji Law Reform Commissioner Valerie Narain said calls for some form of social media age restriction for children came strongly from parents during their public consultation.
However, there were no clear proposals from the public on what the age restriction should be or what form a ban should take.
She says different approaches are being considered internationally, including complete bans, restrictions during certain hours and daily limits on social media use.
Narain adds they were unable to consult many children during the review process, therefore more consultation would be important if a framework for social media age restrictions is proposed.
When questioned about how authorities could police or monitor a ban if Fiji decided that children below a certain age could no longer use social media, Narain said monitoring this could be particularly difficult because children may access platforms through their parents' accounts and families may share a single device.
She says age-assurance technology also raises concerns because some systems have largely been tested on demographics outside the Pacific.
She says age verification also raises privacy concerns because adults, as well as children, may have to provide information to platforms to verify their age.
Insert: Fiji needs to consider several issues 6th Sept
When asked about what age groups should be consulted if children are to have a say on laws governing their social media use and why those age groups must be consulted, Fiji Law Reform Commissioner David Solvalu said consultations would primarily target teenagers, who are more likely to be active internet and social media users.
However, he says consultation with children would have to be conducted through their parents and most likely educational institutions, with parental consent.
Insert: Creating frameworks that are comprehensive 6th Sept
Solvalu also says the approach being considered is to create a high-level framework through primary legislation, while the technical details could then be dealt with through subsidiary legislation following further consultation.
Meanwhile, Online Safety Commisisoner Filipe Batiwale says technology is effectively the new playground for children, where they socialise, meet friends and access entertainment, and therefore it is prudent to consider their views when designing policies or frameworks governing how they communicate and live in the virtual space.
He says whether it should be a blanket ban must be determined by proper evidence, data and statistics, and that a taskforce is already looking into the issue and working with the Law Reform Commission through the project.
When questioned about how efforts to make online spaces safer could avoid becoming mechanisms for restricting legitimate freedom of expression and whether safeguards would be reflected in the proposed framework, the commissioners said the current Online Safety Act does not specifically contain safeguards limiting the exercise of powers in order to protect legitimate freedom of expression.
They say specific protections for areas including freedom of the press and academic freedom are also not expressly provided for.
They say as they consider a more robust online safety framework, they want these safeguards clearly provided for in the law to ensure there are limits on the regulator's powers and legitimate expression is protected.
