Commercial sexual exploitation of children has occurred in Fiji, Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu, and there have been several sex trafficking cases reported in Fiji and Marshall Islands.
According to the latest report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime titled Transnational Organized Crime in the Pacific: Expansion, Challenges and Impact, there is evidence of illicit activity by a large transnational organized crime group also has been evident in Fiji, involving a Chinese national with suspected ties to organized crime groups active in Fiji.
Local women and girls and foreign women also have been identified as trafficking victims in recent years in Fiji, Palau, Marshall Islands, and Solomon Islands.
Fijian children are reportedly trafficked domestically for sexual exploitation, forced labour, particularly in agriculture and retail, and forced criminal activities.
There have also been reports of commercial sexual exploitation of children in Solomon Islands and trafficking in the fishing sector in Tonga.
Some of the trafficking of children for sexual exploitation in the Pacific is reported to have been facilitated by family members.
Some children in urban areas are trafficked and exploited in street vending, scavenging or scrap collecting, and domestic work.
Children, particularly girls, may be at a higher risk of trafficking for forced marriage.
Some countries and territories of the Pacific have been used as destinations for smuggling of migrants from Asia.
Organized crime groups use visa-free status given to certain nationalities to facilitate migrant smuggling, and sometimes these smuggled migrants face life-threatening situations during their journeys, including dangerous situations at sea.
The report says for instance, since 2022, authorities have made several arrests of Chinese migrants along this route for attempting illegal entry into Guam in search of work, primarily from Saipan.
