INTRODUCTION
Despite its remote geography, Fiji is well connected to other continents with several direct flights and has a more developed economy in comparison to other Pacific Island countries (IOM, 2020; Green, 2024). Because of Fiji’s development opportunities, international migrants who seek employment in the Pacific consider Fiji as one of their destinations (The Fiji Times, 2025). However, these conditions put Fiji at risk of enabling human trafficking, especially for forced labour (Green, 2024; The Fiji Times, 2025).
Currently, Fiji is categorised in the Tier 2 Watchlist of the United States’ (U.S.) Trafficking in Persons Report in 2024, meaning the country has not met the minimum standard of anti-trafficking responses but continues to maintain its efforts (US Department of State, 2024). During the commemoration of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons on July 30th, 2025, the Permanent Secretary of Fiji’s Immigration acknowledged the need for the country to step up its efforts (Wise, 2025).
To understand human trafficking in Fiji, this article seeks to explore one of the most prevalent forms of trafficking: forced labour. It will focus on foreign workers as a specific group, concerning how they are prone to labour trafficking by identifying the sectors and vulnerabilities. This article will also discuss Fiji’s unique challenges, such as the lack of adequate support for victims and centralised data management in trafficking cases.
LABOUR TRAFFICKING OF FOREIGN WORKERS
In Fiji, human trafficking has been one of the most persisting crimes over the past decade. The country inevitably acts as a source, transit, and destination (Green, 2024). It remains difficult to estimate the scale of trafficking in Fiji, especially regarding foreign victims. The latest available statistics between 2017 and 2021 indicated that a total of 5,000 victims of trafficking are hidden across the country (UNODC, 2023).
Specifically, out of these 5,000 victims, around 400 foreigners have been trafficked in Fiji within this period. The low number of identified victims of trafficking could have resulted from the border closure during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the lack of reporting (Davy & Tupou, 2022). With the available data, the following sectors have enabled transnational criminal networks of labour trafficking in Fiji.
Fishery: Foreign workers in Fiji’s fishing industry have been exploited, mainly due to deceptive recruitment practices and vessel operations. The majority of victims come from East and Southeast Asia. Rescues have occurred on both Fiji-flagged and foreign-flagged vessels, particularly from China and Taiwan, as Fiji allows them to transit via its ports and waters (Davy & Tupou, 2022; US Department of State, 2024). These victims reported that they were not provided with contracts with accurate information and a sufficient understanding of the working conditions. In some cases, they were expected to work in different conditions from what they agreed to (Davy & Tupou, 2022).
Construction: Foreign workers in the construction industry are highly vulnerable to exploitation, while their welfare is also jeopardised. Bangladeshis, Filipinos, Nepalis, and Pakistanis have also been identified as victims in this sector (Davy & Tupou, 2022). Recently, Chinese nationals have also been detected in forced labour at companies associated with China’s Belt and Road Initiative (US Department of State, 2024). The latest example from last year revealed how these victims can be exploited. In October 2024, an undisclosed construction company was found to have poorly treated its foreign workers by forcing them to stay in a shipping container that lacked ventilation (Naidu, 2024).
Based on the available data, foreign victims of trafficking for forced labour in Fiji also endured similar exploitations: passport confiscation, abusive working and living conditions, and limited or no financial compensation. Some even had to suffer from threats and physical violence (Davy & Tupou, 2022; UNODC, 2023; US Department of State, 2024).
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THE VULNERABILITY OF FOREIGN WORKERS
International migrants in Fiji are also susceptible to trafficking for forced labour due to the following factors.
Language barriers: In Fiji, the official languages include Fijian, English, and Fiji Hindi. However, several foreign workers struggle to communicate in these languages, which obstructs them from fully understanding job-related documents. Language barriers also limit them from reporting cases of human trafficking or reaching out to relevant authorities for assistance (Davy & Tupou, 2022). For example, Bangladeshi victims in Fiji struggled to understand their contracts and were put to work unpaid in positions that they did not agree to do (Davy & Tupou, 2022).
Debt bondage: As poverty drove migrants to leave their countries and seek their fortune abroad, foreign workers were reported to have paid recruitment agencies for their employment in Fiji. Later, the debt tends to be used to manipulate victims of trafficking not to seek help or escape (Davy & Tupou, 2022). In 2019, for instance, Indonesian fishermen on a fishing vessel registered in Fiji reported debt bondage and working without pay (Batista, Masket, Grattan, & Achi, 2020).
FIJI’s CHALLENGES IN ANTI-TRAFFICKING EFFORTS
Human trafficking is criminalised under Fiji’s 2009 Crimes Act and 2003 Immigration Act. Victim protection and prevention are addressed in the National Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy and the National Action Plan (2021–2026) (Ministry of Defence, National Security and Policing, 2021). Since the review of the National policy framework is approaching in 2026, the Fijian government has been pressed to address the following issues in response to trafficking for forced labour among international workers (US Department of State, 2024).
Inadequate support for foreign workers and trafficked victims: In Fiji, foreign workers are supported with work permits to legally carry out their employment if they are registered with authorised employers (The Fiji Times, 2025). However, foreign workers might not be aware of their labour rights, including the definition and signs of exploitation. The misunderstanding can lead to incorrect reporting of trafficking cases as other types of crime (Davy & Tupou, 2022). Therefore, only work permits are not sufficient for ensuring the prevention of trafficking for forced labour in the long run (The Fiji Times, 2025; Davy & Tupou, 2022).
When any foreign workers became victimised, these individuals also struggled to receive comprehensive support in terms of coordination with case managers and services at shelters. Reporting channels also remain weak in Fiji. Trafficked victims have been left without sufficient assistance throughout the protection process, including repatriation (Davy & Tupou, 2022).
Lack of comprehensive data management: Although development began in 2021, the Fijian government has yet to establish a centralised database of human trafficking cases as of 2025. Currently, the Fijian government has not yet completed the mandated central data collection entity despite starting the development process in 2021 (Foon, 2024; ILO, 2021). Only the Human Trafficking Unit of the Police Criminal Investigations Department and the Immigration Department are tasked to collect data on trafficking cases, but a centralised database remains absent. This poses critical challenges to relevant agencies to prosecute traffickers and protect victims (Foon, 2024; Mala, 2025).
Fiji’s Ministry of Employment stressed the need to improve data sharing and management to offer sufficient and efficient support for victims. Without comprehensive data, victims’ protection and assistance would be hampered, as well as the investigation and prosecution due to the lack of witnesses and evidence (Mala, 2025).
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, foreign workers in Fiji are prone to labour exploitation and labour trafficking. Many of the victims of forced labour come from East, South, and Southeast Asia, with the hopes of earning better incomes, mainly in the fishery and construction industries (Davy & Tupou, 2022; US Department of State, 2024). However, they are vulnerable to exploitation due to language barriers and debt bondage (Davy & Tupou, 2022).
To effectively tackle labour trafficking among foreign workers, the Fijian government is recommended to consider improving awareness of labour rights to international workers, developing more comprehensive support for trafficked victims, and systematising a central database of trafficking cases for better data management (Foon, 2024; Mala, 2025; The Fiji Times, 2025).
Addressing these challenges is essential for the Fijian government to ensure the protection of victims and strengthen Fiji’s anti-trafficking framework (Mala, 2025). Comprehensive data management will also allow officials to grasp the prevalence and analyse anti-trafficking policies along with the improvement of foreign workers’ protection in the country (Mala, 2025; The Fiji Times, 2025).
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