Some people in society push away human trafficking victims without knowing their story, and this is because of the lack of information within the society.
This was highlighted by the Butakoci Production lead, Talei Draunibaka during fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan and she stressed that the only thing people consider is that a particular person is participating in a human trafficking act and would not want to be associated with them.
Draunibaka says one thing that stands out for modern-day trafficking is the fact that even when they are trying to go to society or to people closest to them, they are pushed away.
She says society and individuals can change this by creating dialogue.
When asked what she noticed on the ground, Draunibaka responded that human trafficking is not new, it started with the Girmit era in Fiji, which was one of the reasons why she focused on women in the Butakoci Production.
She says people who came through the Girmit era went through atrocious treatments, and the way they were treated is unbelievable.
Draunibaka says women were constantly trying to protect themselves but did not have the freedom or the ability to do so, and it didn't mean the other gender didn’t suffer.
She says during the Girmit era, men were sold for 45 rupees and women for 55 rupees.
