US threatens Fiji aid cut over alleged human trafficking cult impunity |
The United States has issued one of its strongest warnings yet to Fiji, threatening to downgrade the Pacific island nation to the lowest possible tier on Washington’s global human trafficking index unless authorities take decisive action against the Grace Road Group, a South Korean religious sect accused of human trafficking, forced labor, and other serious abuses. The move, confirmed by a US State Department official speaking to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), could jeopardize millions of dollars in development assistance and significantly alter Fiji’s economic and diplomatic outlook.
At the center of the dispute is the State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, which assesses governments’ efforts to combat human trafficking. Fiji currently sits on the Tier 2 Watchlist, the second-lowest category. A downgrade to Tier 3-the bottom rung, shared with countries such as Cambodia and North Korea-would signal that Fiji is failing to meet even the minimum standards for addressing trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. Such a designation would potentially cut off all non-humanitarian US assistance and could prompt Washington to pressure major multilateral lenders to curtail their support.
According to the State Department official, the US is “deeply concerned about indicators of transnational organized crime and human trafficking associated with the Grace Road Group,” as well as broader trafficking-related issues in Fiji. The official emphasized that Fiji still has a narrow window to avoid the downgrade, but only if it demonstrates tangible progress by the end of March. Without such action, a Tier 3 designation in the 2026 TIP report appears increasingly likely.
Grace Road Group, which relocated from South Korea to Fiji in 2014, presents itself as a religious community preparing for an imminent nuclear Armageddon. Over the past decade, however, it has grown into a powerful economic conglomerate in Fiji, operating supermarkets, beauty salons, restaurants, farms, and other businesses. With roughly 300 members in the country, the group has embedded itself deeply into the local economy, generating both jobs and controversy.
For years, former members and international watchdogs have accused Grace Road of exploiting its followers through practices that mirror modern-day slavery. The State Department’s most recent TIP report, published in late September, marked the first time the group was explicitly named. It stated that members “experience conditions indicative of human trafficking,” including being forced to work excessive hours without rest days, suffering physical violence, having their passports confiscated, and being denied wages.
The urgency of the US........