Fijians are reportedly dedicating a significant amount of time to viewing pornography. During a parliamentary session, it was revealed that in just three months, the consumption of data on pornographic websites reached 626.13 terabytes (TB), a volume equivalent to reading 100 million books.
Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of the National Taskforce to Address Pornography, Manoa Kamikamica, described pornography as “a silent epidemic that is shaping Fiji’s digital landscape and affecting countless individuals.” He also shared that last year, over 3,600 cases of child sexual abuse material were reported to the United States National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
Mr. Kamikamica highlighted that the data consumption related to adult content ranked among the top ten most utilized data traffic for one telecommunications provider. He explained, “To put this into perspective, 626.13 TB is roughly equivalent to the data stored in 100 million books, or to a collection of movies that would take more than 150 years to watch without pause, even if viewed daily.”
He emphasized the significant presence of adult content and its substantial share of network traffic, stating that while it’s challenging to quantify the exact portion of the internet comprised of adult material, the industry is vast. “It’s a silent epidemic, shaping our digital world and impacting countless lives,” he added.
Mr. Kamikamica noted that this issue is not just a national concern, but a global one. He reported that last year, 245 electronic service providers submitted over 35 million reports of suspected Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) on their platforms. Additionally, he pointed out that according to INHOPE in 2023, 83 percent of child abuse victims fell within the age range of three to thirteen years.
He referenced Interpol’s International Child Sexual Exploitation database, which indicated that in 2018, 65 percent of unidentified victims were girls, and 93 percent of visual offenses involved male perpetrators. The Deputy Prime Minister remarked that the formation of the national taskforce serves as a strong indicator of the Coalition Government’s commitment to addressing these issues. “It’s a tangible step towards safeguarding our communities and protecting our most vulnerable citizens,” he concluded.