Tourists Sexually Exploiting Fijian Girls on Yachts and in Hotels

Foreign tourists are allegedly involved in the sexual exploitation of Fijian girls, including children transported to hotels and private yachts, according to the United States State Department’s 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report.

The report describes cases in which taxi drivers and other facilitators transport child sex trafficking victims to hotels in popular tourist areas or private yachts at the request of foreign tourists.

It also raises concerns about foreign yacht owners and people hiring locally owned yachts who seek young women, including children, in rural island communities.

Some of these women and children subsequently experience forced labour or sexual exploitation.

The report identifies poverty, family hardship and limited protection services as factors increasing children’s vulnerability to trafficking.

It says children as young as 12 are exploited in sex trafficking, sometimes by family members seeking money for food and other basic needs.

Despite previously reporting an increase in child sexual exploitation linked to tourism, Fiji’s authorities did not report efforts to investigate perpetrators or those facilitating the movement of children to hotels and private yachts during the reporting period.

The US State Department has urged Fiji to investigate and prosecute those involved in child sex trafficking, including individuals facilitating exploitation in the tourism industry.

The findings raise serious concerns about the protection of vulnerable Fijian children and the need for stronger enforcement against sexual exploitation.