Director of the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission, Loukinikini Lewaravu.
The Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission expresses grave concern that Fiji has remained on the Tier 2 Watch List for a second consecutive year in the 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report.
Commission Director Loukinikini Lewaravu says this status reflects persistent and serious gaps and deficiencies in trafficking prevention measures, victim identification and protection, and the investigation and prosecution of perpetrators.
Lewaravu says they have acknowledged the procedural steps taken by the State, including updating the National Action Plan and strengthening inter-agency coordination.
However, she says external reports indicate that these efforts are insufficient to deliver tangible outcomes.
Lewaravu says core indicators of a robust response, namely proactive victim identification, timely and proper investigations, effective prosecutions, and meaningful convictions, remain critically lacking.
She says absence of recent prosecutions despite allegations of human trafficking reported to the relevant authorities is deeply concerning.
The Director says this procedural progress without consequential accountability falls short of the State’s human rights obligations and the current trajectory risks normalising impunity and denying victims their right to justice and an effective remedy.
Lewaravu says human trafficking is a grave violation of fundamental human rights, including the rights to dignity, liberty, and freedom from slavery.
She says these rights are enshrined in the 2013 Constitution and in international instruments to which Fiji is a party, notably the Palermo Protocol, which seeks to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children.
Lewaravu says addressing this crisis requires renewed and genuine political will that prioritises victims, ensures and enforces accountability, and dismantles structures that enable and perpetuate the exploitation of victims.
She says as an independent national human rights institution, the Commission urges the State to exercise due diligence and act with renewed urgency by initiating prompt, independent, and effective investigations into all trafficking allegations, including those involving complicity or influential actors, and pursuing prosecutions where evidence merits bringing cases to court.
Lewaravu says the State must implement concrete measures to prevent and sanction official complicity, ensuring accountability at all levels of government and the public service.
She is also calling on the State to fully operationalise a survivor-centred, rights-based victim protection system that ensures safety, access to services, and expressly upholds the principle of non-punishment of victims for acts committed as a result of their trafficking.
Lewaravu says the State must adequately resource and provide specialised training to law enforcement officers, labour inspectors, and prosecutors to meet international standards in combating human trafficking and ensure transparent and monitored implementation of the National Action Plan, with clear benchmarks and regular public reporting to ensure accountability and maintain public confidence.
Lewaravu stresses that human trafficking is a profound challenge that tests the State’s commitment to human rights and the rule of law.
She adds that they stand ready to engage constructively with the Government, civil society, and partners to deliver a comprehensive, rights-based response that secures justice, protects victims, and upholds human dignity for all in Fiji.
