In 2023, Fiji saw over 3,600 reports of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) submitted to the United States National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). This information was disclosed by Minister for Communications and Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica during a parliamentary session where he provided an update on the National Taskforce aimed at combating pornography.
Kamikamica explained that the Cyber Tipline serves as a national clearinghouse in the U.S. for reports related to child sexual exploitation, requiring electronic service providers registered in the U.S. to report suspected CSAM, grooming activities, and explicit content sent to children. The majority of reports, more than 99 percent, come from companies like Meta, Google, and TikTok, with a smaller portion originating from the public.
In the current year, NCMEC reported receiving 3,638 suspected child sexual exploitation material cases from Fiji. He emphasized that the creation of the National Taskforce represents a strong commitment from the Coalition Government to take concrete actions to protect vulnerable citizens and secure communities.
Kamikamica highlighted that the Taskforce’s initial focus would be addressing online child sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA). He also urged parents and guardians to be more cautious regarding the images and videos of children shared online, stressing the need to avoid uploading inappropriate content that could be misused by offenders.
The Deputy Prime Minister concluded by calling for collective efforts to protect children in both physical and digital environments.