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The Special Rapporteur visited Suva and Nadi, on the island of Viti Levu, from 11 to 16 October 1999, to study the issue of commercial sexual exploitation of children in Fiji. She then travelled to Canberra, Australia, at the invitation of the Government of Australia for one day of meetings, on 18 October 1999, with representatives of the Government and non-governmental organizations. The Special Rapporteur chose to visit Fiji in order to study the situation of commercial sexual exploitation of children in a country for which tourism is one of the main industries, generating almost one third of the nation's income. She had been disturbed to receive allegations that Fiji is becoming a popular destination for child sex tourists - adults who travel to certain countries either with the primary purpose of sexually abusing children, or who carry out such activities whilst visiting the country as otherwise legitimate tourists. A very large percentage of all of the tourism into Fiji is provided by Australia. Most international flights come from Australia, much of the marketing of the Fijian tourist industry is done in Australia and many Australians have taken up residence in Fiji. Inevitably, every case of sexual exploitation of children by tourists and foreigners which was brought to the attention of the Special Rapporteur involved allegations against Australian men. The Special Rapporteur concluded that a thorough evaluation of the situation coupled with attempts to address it necessitated discussions with governmental and non-governmental representatives of both countries. |
