Fiji Is Pushing for a National Ban on Pornography

SUVA, Fiji—Fiji's government has established a supposed anti-pornography task force within its national cabinet and the unicameral parliament. The task force relies on assessments that keeping online pornography legal in the island nation of under one million people could harm public health and safety. The cabinet approved the establishment of the anti-pornography task force to conduct and receive public consultations to formulate "evidence-based" views and consolidations for mitigating the impact of pornography on the country's society. A local news outlet reports that opposition members of the Fiji parliament were added to the task force, noting that it was established in February 2024. Recently, the anti-pornography task force convened to deliberate on any proposals or frameworks to bar pornography access. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) published alarming statistics that highlighted a rise in sexual assaults involving minors. The government concluded that the accessibility of pornography to minors and adults alike contributed to the alarming rates of sexual assaults. “With the internet reaching even the most remote areas, it’s imperative that we ensure it is used responsibly to protect Fiji’s children from its harmful impacts,” said Lynda Tabuya, co-chair of the task force and Minister for Women, Children, and Social Protection, via the English-language Fiji Sun. Tabuya and members of the task force seem to neglect mounting academic evidence that keeping pornography legal leads to a reduction in sexual assault and violent sexual crimes. No proposal has been formulated as of this writing, but Fiji could be one of the latest international jurisdictions to take a paternalistic stand against porn.