The United States National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) received 3,638 reports of suspected child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) from Fiji in 2023. Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica shared this information in Parliament during a discussion about the National Taskforce to Address Pornography.
Kamikamica explained that NCMEC’s Cyber Tip Line acts as the national clearinghouse for leads on child exploitation. This includes crimes that electronic service providers in the U.S. are required by law to report. The majority of these reports, approximately 99 percent, originate from electronic service providers like Meta, Google, and TikTok, with a small number coming from the public.
He emphasized the need for law enforcement to investigate these cyber tip reports, stating that discussions are ongoing between NCMEC and the Fiji Police Force, with support from the U.S. government to provide necessary training. This comes in addition to previous training sessions.
Kamikamica urged parents, guardians, and communities to be cautious about the images and videos of children shared online, highlighting the importance of not uploading pictures or videos where children are not appropriately clothed. He noted that once such images are online, they can be misused by predators in harmful ways. He called for collective efforts to protect children in both physical and digital spaces.