The United States Department of State has raised serious concerns about a religious organisation in Fiji allegedly linked to human trafficking, criticising local authorities for failing to act despite years of reported trafficking indicators.
In its 2025 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, the U.S. again placed Fiji on the Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year, citing inadequate progress in addressing trafficking and allowing suspected offenders to operate with impunity.
“Despite many years of widespread reporting of trafficking indicators within a religious organization that operated numerous businesses in various sectors, authorities did not take sufficient action to hold suspected traffickers accountable or identify and assist potential victims,” the report stated.
The organisation is not named in the public version of the report.
The report praised some progress made by the Fijian government, such as more trafficking investigations initiated, more victims identified, including one of sex trafficking, development of a centralized case management system and completion of standard operating procedures for identifying victims
However, it criticised the continued lack of new prosecutions or convictions, and highlighted how official complicity and corruption were undermining anti-trafficking efforts.
The U.S. report emphasised that until Fiji shows increasing efforts, particularly in prosecuting traffickers and protecting victims, its status on the Tier 2 Watch List will remain or potentially worsen.
