‘Fiji hub for human trafficking in the Pacific’

FIJI is the hub for human trafficking in the Pacific.

This was the major message conveyed during the UN International Organization for Migration Countering Human Trafficking training yesterday.

European Union representative Francesco Ponzoni said Fiji was considered the transit and destination country for human trafficking.

“Trafficking in human beings is fast becoming a regional issue and it is important to understand that trafficking crosses national borders but it can also happen domestically within districts and provinces,” he said.

IOM Chief of Mission Solomon Kantha said government ministries were the important partners in the efforts to combating human trafficking.

“As government ministries are key element, it is very important for them to have basic understanding and knowledge of what human trafficking is and how we can build partnerships with relevant stakeholders to effectively deal with human trafficking.

“According to the International Labour Organization estimates there are 40.3 million victims of human trafficking and the challenge for us is that there may be victims in our communities but we need to have the knowledge and skills to identify the victims,” he said.

He said the major challenge in Fiji was the lack of knowledge of applying the laws to prosecute perpetrators.

“For us in the line of government, it’s also important for us to understand the needs of the victims, what sort of assistance is required to support victims of trafficking and the elements of human trafficking,” he added.

The two-day training was organised to educate government authorities about the dynamics of human trafficking and the importance of co-ordinators between relevant stakeholders in countering human trafficking.