Country: Fiji
Committee: Sochum
Topic: Human Trafficking
Delegate: Eva Talberg
School: Williamston High School
Human trafficking has become an incredibly admissable global issue with the proliferation of the use of the internet to run black market . Parents, children, and migrants are kidnapped and sold into forced labor systems or to be used sexually. This form of modern slavery is horrendous and often results in the deaths of those kidnapped. The United Nations needs to take immediate and extreme action to prevent these cases of human trafficking, and organize a better method to keep track of high risk areas with people who are often kidnapped but seldom reported. These high risk areas include western Asia and northern Africa. International campaigns working to eliminate the threats of human trafficking profiles have seen success in the past, but are underfunded and need to be expanded.
Fiji has had few problems surrounding human trafficking from Fiji natives in the past. Occasionally, Chinese traffickers will travel to Fiji and steal women and girls for prostitution. There is also a problem with coerced sexual exploitation. Often young girls who cannot afford to go to school are sold into sexual slavery or involuntary servitude. In the past year, Fiji has taken significant action to reduce the threat of human trafficking. By passing the Crimes Decree, the Fijian government has enacted laws that raise the penalty for human trafficking and lay out a specific definition of what is considered human trafficking. There has also been a significant rise in the experience law enforcers have in terms of recognizing and taking action against human trafficking crimes.
The delegation of Fiji is greatly in support of other nations taking actions similar to the ones taken within Fiji. Fiji also recognizes that island nations have less of a threat in terms of human trafficking because they participate in less direct contact with people of other nations. Defense task forces need to be implemented, and stricter borders must be regulated within land borders of high risk countries. The delegation of Fiji understands that this could potentially be seen as a breach of national sovereignty, but would like to explain how it is not. Human trafficking is often not local. Children are often kidnapped and smuggled to other countries, and this becomes a global issue, not just within the dictation of an individual nation. In terms of internal issues, Fiji suggests that sovereign nations increase the size of local law enforcement and could potentially set up a system that allows for easy report of potentially trafficking regimes. This allows the public to be more aware of the threat of human trafficking, as well as enabling local law enforcement to bust trafficking schemes.
- Eva Talberg
