The National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the United States received a total of 3,638 reports of suspected child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) from Fiji during the year 2023. This information was shared by Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica in Parliament this week while providing an update on the National Taskforce to Address Pornography.
Kamikamica explained that the NCMEC Cyber Tip Line serves as a national clearinghouse for leads on child exploitation, with electronic service providers in the U.S. legally required to report such crimes. The majority of these reports, approximately 99 percent, come from platforms like Meta, Google, and TikTok, with a smaller portion originating from public submissions.
The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the importance of law enforcement investigating these cyber tip reports. Ongoing discussions are taking place between NCMEC and the Fiji Police Force, with support from the United States Government aimed at providing training for local law enforcement personnel.
In addition to ongoing training initiatives, Kamikamica urged parents, guardians, and community members to be cautious about sharing images and videos of children online. He stressed the importance of not uploading pictures or videos where children are inadequately clothed. Once such images are online, they can potentially be exploited by offenders in harmful ways. He called for a collective effort to protect children in both the physical and digital realms.