Pacific Empowerment
Pacific Empowerment Podcast was founded by a Tongan woman entrepreneur, Akanesi Kaufusi, to uplift and inspire Pacific Island people to take bold action, chase their dreams, and dream as big as they dare. This podcast challenges the limitations of traditional thinking and cultural expectations that often hold our people back. It’s a space to break free from fear, take risks, and rewrite what’s possible - no matter your background or environment. Your situation doesn’t define you. Your vision does.
Pacific Empowerment
Episode 32 - Power, Sex & Money: Confronting Abuse in Pacific Communities
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In this episode, I sit down with Pastor Letitia Shelton, who grew up in Fiji and now serves across Fiji and Australia to have a bold and honest conversation about sexual abuse, exploitation, and the silence that often surrounds it in Pacific communities. We unpack the realities of power, sex, and money, and how these forces can be misused within culture, community spaces, and even church settings.
We also discuss her work addressing the harms of pornography and its impact on families, young people, and relationships, while challenging church leaders to step up and truly protect the vulnerable instead of avoiding hard conversations. This episode calls the church back to its true role: to serve, shepherd, and stand firmly for truth and justice.
Drawing from her experience in Fiji and Australia, and my advocacy against the faikava and tou’a practice in the Tongan community, we connect culture, faith, and accountability. It’s a confronting but necessary conversation to break the silence and protect women, children, and families across our Pacific communities.
Letitia Shelton Website
https://disruptivevoicespacific.com/
Letitia Shelton Books & Resources
https://citywomen.myshopify.com/
Sign the Petition to ban tou'a and protect women and children. https://pasifikaempowerment.org/campaigns
Help us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.
You can watch the video podcast on https://www.youtube.com/@pacificempowerment