World

Fiji, a Source for 'Modern-day Slavery'

by Barbara McPherson | June 17, 2009 at 10:02 am

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A report released today by US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, condemns Fiji as a source for modern day slavery. The report looked at 175 nations in the Pacific Region gathering information from reliable NGOs. The report was especially concerned with the trafficking of the most vulnerable -- women and children.

Fiji is one of two Pacific Island countries that remain a source country for child trafficking for the purposes of labour and commercial sexual exploitation, says the US State Department's 2009 report on Human Trafficking.

The report, released today by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, noted that Fiji was one of 17 countries whose "governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so".

Papua New Guinea is the other Pacific Island country blacklisted from the 175 nations surveyed.

When people are trafficked for forced labour, prostitution or other illicit purposes, this can be considered modern day slavery. Modern day slavery exists around the world. It can come in many forms from sexual slavery to the now illegal camel jockeys in Arabia. The engine behind modern day slavery is money.
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