Mosese Raqio 
Online Safety Commission Commissioner Filipe Batiwale has issued a strong warning that Fiji is not facing a distant threat but is already in the midst of a crisis, as sextortion cases continue to rise.
Batiwale says a new and vicious form of abuse is emerging, driven by the need to generate income, and young people are particularly vulnerable.
“Some of our people, especially our youth, are forming online relationships with people overseas. They are being coerced into producing and sending obscene materials, often with promises of money or relationships. What they don’t understand is the profound harm that they face.”
He explained that the first danger is blackmail, where victims are threatened with exposure.
However, Batiwale stressed that the legal consequences are even more critical, highlighting that if a person in the image is under 13, it is legally classified as child sexual abuse material.
He says there are no exceptions if that person is under 16.
He adds that the age of consent in Fiji is 16, and producing or sharing a sexually explicit image of them is a serious crime.
Batiwale says it doesn’t matter if the child consented, the law protects them because they are children.
He says many perpetrators, and even victims themselves, do not understand that a young person’s belief that they are making a choice does not change the fact that a crime has been committed.
“They are not just being exploited. They are being used to traffic in child abuse material.”
Batiwale is urging communities, parents, and young people to be vigilant and to understand that sextortion is not only exploitation but also a serious criminal offence with life-altering consequences.
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