Fiji has made significant efforts to improve its anti-trafficking activities, but there is still room for improvement, which will ultimately determine the effectiveness of the laws and policies and programs to prevent human trafficking in the country.
This was stated by Acting Minister for Home Affairs and Immigration Filimoni Vosarogo while officiating at the opening of Fiji’s Anti-Human Trafficking National Action Plan – Implementation Workshop at the Holiday Inn today.
Vosarogo says it is also noted that Fiji has maintained for the second year its Tier 2 position in the annual US Department of State 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report released in July last year.
He says Fiji has sustained its efforts to prevent trafficking in the pillars of prosecution, protection and prevention.
Vosarogo says we have only been able to do so because of the collaboration between Fiji’s Countering Trafficking In Persons Interagency Committee on Human Trafficking in implementing our National Human Trafficking Strategy 2021-2026 and National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking 2021-2026.
Vosarogo also acknowledged and thanked the Asia Foundation which is supported by the USAID for collaborating with the Fiji Government and co-hosting this very important workshop on an issue that US and Global reports have identified Fiji to be a source, transit and destination country of trafficking in persons.
He says it is not an easy task, providing the necessities and services that you offer in a resource constraint environment for a crime so fluid in movement. Vosarogo says internationally we have ratified international agreements such as the United Nations Convention against transnational organized crime and the protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children.
He says he is confident that the deliberations on the National Action Plan that will take place over the next two days will result in identifying and prioritising activities within the National Action Plan that we can collectively work towards in the next three years.
