Jale Daucakacaka 
[File Photo]
Authorities need to come up with better investigation methods to help address the issue of human trafficking in Fiji and the Pacific region.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Research Officer Marie Fatiaki says police and anti-human trafficking units need better resources and capacity to deal with the prevalence of various forms of human trafficking such as forced labor.
“There is a need for more awareness about human trafficking and migrant smuggling.” “We also need special attention paid by the Ministry of Employment to protect foreign workers who are in Fiji.”
Fatiaki says the UNODC and the Fiji Bureau of Statistics conducted a joint survey in 2021 to estimate the prevalence of human trafficking over a five-year period.
She says the survey revealed that the majority of the victims were trafficked for forced labour in the construction, food services, accommodation, retail trade, agriculture, fishing, and manufacturing sectors.
