Episode 46 - Is Tou'a Human Trafficking?

IS TOU'A HUMAN TRAFFICKING?

In this episode, we tackle one of the most difficult questions facing our communities today.

Drawing on the testimonies of former tou'a women, we explore the connections between family pressure, money, power, sexual exploitation, and the expectation that young girls serve men in faikava settings.

We discuss why human trafficking is not only about crossing borders, but also about exploitation, vulnerability, and who benefits while others carry the risks. We also examine the experiences of women who were pressured into tou'a at a young age, sent overseas, or remained silent for years because speaking out meant going against their families and communities.

Warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual abuse and exploitation that may be distressing to some listeners.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:04

My Lilele, Bulabinaka, Talafalava, and hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of Pacific Impairment Podcast with your host, Akanessika Ofusi. It has been a very busy week for me. Um it seems like there's always an attack every week from my tongue-in community. The last two weeks I was fighting different tongue-in churches on social media, and this week I was fighting my in-laws. So um, and that is the cost of speaking the truth. You will always have to face opposition all the time. You always have to face resistance. So many, you know, people making up lies about me, my parents, my mom, my dad. So many lies out there, you know, that I heard on the social media about my family. And the thing is, I don't have time to correct all those lies. The truth will eventually come out. No matter how many gossips and how many lies they are trying to tell about me and my family, the truth will always win in the end. And, you know, as you can see, the reason why I'm not worried is that anyone who wants to have a public appearance, if you want to become a public figure, if you become famous, this is what you will be facing. You will be facing oppositions and resistance and criticism. So much criticism from people who doesn't do anything, who hasn't achieved anything, you know. Anyways, yesterday, some people sent me a video of a Tongen woman talking about Tongen girls being trafficked to China. Um, it was in Tongen, you know, the video. And she said that one of her nieces was among them, these girls. They were taken to marry wealthy Chinese men. Um, they were forced to bear children and then abandoned once the children were born. Um, these girls were left starving to the point of death. Yeah, they were starved to death. And they survived only by drinking water from the bathroom sink with no food to eat. These girls were recruited by two Tongan women in Tonga. And they were paid $100,000 for each girl, totaling $1 million. And the woman was trying to pay for a hotel for these girls to move to. Some of these girls are stuck in China because they don't have money to pay for their flight return to Tonga. So um, some have helped pay some of the girls' flight, pay for their food when they found out what happened. Um, but yeah, it's it's horrible. And I can't I couldn't believe it because I've never heard of this before. I had no idea that Tongan girls are trafficked to China. Um and, you know, so many people shared it, so many people sent it to me, and this is, you know, people are like surprised that this has been happening. But when I watched the video of the woman, when I watched the whole video for the first time when people sent it to me, I wasn't surprised.

SPEAKER_00 3:26

I wasn't surprised at all.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

Because it's the same thing that's happening to the women. I made a post on social media this morning and I said, Well, why are you surprised, Songa? This is what you have been doing for decades through Doha to young women trafficking them to Faigawa men to be sexually harassed or sexually abused for money? And why are you surprised? I mean, why is there like a huge attention on this because it's China? But then when Dongga does it, no one bets an eyelid when Dong does it through doa women in culture? Because young women are sent overseas to family members to go and do for money. That's where these young women are sexually exploited. And it's not only that, they are sexually exploited in Tongue as well. And I met a post and I said it's the same thing. The only difference is that Chinese, that the Chinese pay big money, huge money, $100,000 for one person, but it's the same exploitation of women for money. And um, some people commented and said, oh, they are two different things. This is not the same thing, you know, Doa is restricted, uh, whereas this is sent overseas, well, sent to China is sent. Traffic happens everywhere. It doesn't traffic doesn't happen just because you send it overseas, it can happen in your own country. And through these testimonies of the Doa women, we hear that they were forced into Do'a for money. They were sexually harassed. And many of these young women didn't want to go, but the family members, either the parents or the uncles or their stepmothers, they they forced these young women, as young as 13 and 14 years old, you know, to go in Doa for money. And then they ended up getting raped, sexually assaulted by the Fai government.

SPEAKER_00 5:35

For what? For money. So why are you surprised when the Chinese do it? When the Tongan's are doing the same thing, you know? We just didn't call it traffic because we call it culture.

SPEAKER_01 5:53

That's the only difference. We don't call it traffic because we call it culture, but it's trafficking. Sending young women to overseas to Doa and forcing young women, no matter where it is, to go in Doa.

SPEAKER_00 6:08

That's trafficking. So it didn't surprise me, you know, when I watched the video.

SPEAKER_01 6:17

Because I already know what our people are capable of. I already know. After fighting many of our Tongan people since last year, who defend the Doa practice with passion. I wasn't surprised, you know, the way they behave, the way they were attacking me, trying to falsify the testimonies of the Doa women, you know, trying to discredit their testimonies, saying that they haven't heard anyone raped in, you know, Faikawa. You know, and it's not that surprising that our people are selling women for money, you know? Because they're already used to doing it through Do'a. It's not surprising. But still, so many people in the comments said it's not the same. And that is why I want to discuss this in today's episode. So we can unpack what human trafficking actually means and to explain how Doa is a form of human trafficking. Cause so many people don't understand. Now, let's m let me be clear from the beginning. I'm not saying that every woman who has ever served as a Doa has been trafficked. And I'm not saying every family or every five gathering had bad intentions. But after reading testimony after testimonies from Doa themselves, you know, I couldn't ignore the patterns that kept coming up when I read these testimonies. Many spoke about sexual harassment, pressure, fear, shame, and feeling like they couldn't say no. You know, some were encouraged by family members to continue Doa despair the risk. I remember reading a Doa testimony, she told her family that they've been sexually assaulting her, and then the woman told her that they're just playing, that you know, it's just a choke. It's not harmful. But the woman was sexually harassed during Faikawa. You know, our tongue and people they don't understand the impact to Doa women. They do not know how that impacts the mentality of these women. This is already written in the academic studies about Doa that I've read before by a doctor in Auckland University. You know, it affects their mental health. And so many of these women, these young women, never spoke about them because they thought it's normal to sexually harass them or sexually abuse them, and even family told them it's normal, and the community told them it's normal, and the whole nation told it's normal. And that to me is the most concerning part. You know, when something has been practiced for generations, while people stop questioning it. And when people start questioning it, they get attacked like me. And then the women, young women victims think, oh, this is just how things are. Even parents, they think, oh, we we went through it. I was a daughter before. So you have to take it and go and make some money. Do you see? What's the problem? It's just a choke. Nothing will happen, but things happen. Women are raped. Women are sexually abused, sexually harassed, sexually assaulted. Communities defend it because it is familiar. But history has shown us that traditions can change when people realize they are causing harm. For example, China, they abandoned the traditions of binding women's feet after centuries, you know, because they recognize the pain and suffering inflicted on the young girls, on the women on the women's body. Australia and New Zealand. They moved away in many countries, they moved away from corporal punishments in schools, beating up children, because they realized that, you know, you have to protect children. It's more important than preserving old methods or discipline. Even South Africa, they dismantled apartheid because racial segregation violated basic human dignity, even though it had once been defended as part of the social order. So let me put this another way. Imagine a young girl being expected to spend hours serving groups of older men at night. She's the only girl there, the rest is omen. She can't easily refuse because her family expects her to participate and get paid. She's exposed to inappropriate comments, inappropriate behavior, dirty talk, degrading remarks, but she can't do anything, you know, she has to keep quiet. She can't speak up because uh it'll risk men attacking her or bringing shame upon her family. You know, she serves the cover and sits there while men admire her, objectify her, and in some cases lust after her.

SPEAKER_00 11:25

And some have spoken about rape occurring after fight cover gatherings. Yet despite these risks, the practice continues. Continue as normal.

SPEAKER_01 11:38

People choose to look away. It's okay, it only happens to a few. Well it happens to many, almost 90% of Doa, they get sexually harassed or sexually assaulted. Let's say if we remove the word culture from this story, would we still defend it? You know? If you think about it, would we still defend it if we remove culture from this practice and just say that it's a lady that's going to serve these five government?

SPEAKER_00 12:09

It's not a culture. Would you still defend it? Would you still see it as appropriate? Or would you see it as prostitution? Just like I always say.

SPEAKER_01 12:21

You know, we should never use culture to excuse the harm, silence victims, and place burdens on women and girls that men themselves would never accept. Another misconception I want to challenge today is that the idea that human trafficking only happens when people are taken overseas. Most people picture organized crimes, kidnappings or international borders. I mean, those things certainly happen, but exploitation is often much closer to home, you know? Sometimes the people introducing vulnerable individuals into harmful situations are not strangers. They are family members. They are community leaders. I mean they they may genuinely believe that they are doing the right thing. Because nobody ever stopped to question the system. You know, they think that women, older women thinking that sending young women to church like Gaba is the right thing because they grew up in that system and no one questioned it. Everyone thinks it's okay. Parents send their children to go overseas and doa for money because no one questioned the system. Everyone thinks it's okay. And no one dare to stop and question whether these are harming the women. Even though we hear horrible stories about Doa all the time, but they make fun of it. And that is why these conversations are difficult. Because we're not always dealing with obvious evil, you know? Often we're dealing with generations of normalized behavior that no longer serves the people it claims to protect. One of the reasons so many women have reached out privately is because for the first time they're hearing others tell stories similar to their own. They realized they weren't overreacting or imagining things, you know? The fear, the pressure, the inappropriate behavior, and the silence were experienced by many others as well. Another thing I need to address is that we need to move beyond the myth that trafficking only happens across borders and start talking honestly about what exploitation can look like within our own communities, especially when harmful practices have been normalized for generations. Now, one thing I want to address is the common belief that human trafficking only happens when someone is taken overseas or kidnapped by strangers. That's certainly one form of trafficking, but exploitation can also happen much closer to home. We hear many victims around the world are introduced into harmful situations by their own trusted family. You know, the relatives, community leaders, someone they trusted, friends. Also another factor we need to talk about is money. One of the most common responses I hear is that they did it for the money, or the family needed the income. But that's exactly why this conversation is important. Economic vulnerability has always been one of the ways people become exploited. If a young woman feels pressured to become a doa because her family depends on the money, or because she has been taught that supporting the family comes before her own safety and dignity, then we need to ask how much freedom she really has. A community preserves a tradition, yet the risk sexual harassment, humiliation, and in some cases assault are carried by the young women herself, especially mentally and emotionally and physically for those who are sexually assaulted. I'm not dismissing poverty, you know, or the difficult choices that families sometimes face, but financial hardship should never become a justification for placing young women and girls in situations where they are vulnerable to exploitation. Shouldn't be an excuse to traffic women and send women to a place full of men at night alone. We've seen this throughout history. Children once worked in factories because the families needed money. Child marriage was often defended for economic reasons, and yet societies eventually decided that protecting vulnerable people mattered more than the financial benefits and they stopped child labor in many countries. And the same principle applies here. And that the fact that money is involved doesn't automatically make something acceptable. We also need to talk honestly about responsibility within the family. And our child should never be responsible for carrying the financial burden of adults. Parents are meant to provide for their children. Parents are the provider, not the other way around, it's not the children who are burdened with providing for the family. Young girls were encouraged or pressured to become doa because of money, to provide for the family, to send money back to Tonga. In some cases the benefits flowed to the family, but the risk were carried entirely by the daughters, getting sexually harassed every night, sexually abused. And that should concern all of us. Many Fai Gava men drink cover night after night, and then they come home and sleep, and then rely on the daughters to go and doa to provide for the family. That is the problem. Parents are too lazy to find work, parents are too lazy to provide for their family, therefore force their own children to go and do for money. Or send them overseas to go and do for money and that is where they get sexually exploited. But the family have no idea because they are in Tonga waiting for their daughters to send them money, that's all they care about, and have no care about the risk that this these young women are taking. Going overseas to doa for money at night, getting sexually exploited by these men, and all they do in Tonga is drink habit and then expect the children to look after them and you know provide for them. It is your responsibility, parents, to provide for your children, not the children. That is why sex trafficking and human trafficking is happening, because parents are not doing their job. They're not doing their responsibility at home as a mother and a father. You are placing the burden of looking after your family on the children, and this is what happens. You send them overseas. You traffic them either to the fight government or to China. Same thing for money. You know, poverty is real and many families struggle, but hardship should should never become an excuse to expose these girls to environments where they face harassment, exploitation, or abuse. You know, parents have a duty to safeguard their children, to protect their children and not place them in vulnerable situations for financial or social gain. You know, the moment a family begins relying on a daughter's labor, appearance or service while ignoring the risks she faces, we have crossed into a very dangerous territory. And a healthy society expects adults to carry the burden and providing and protecting children. Children should be learning, growing, and preparing for their future, not bearing responsibilities that belong to their parents. Families may receive financial benefits or support. Meanwhile, the young woman is expected to sit for hours, serving, tolerating inappropriate comments, you know, unwanted attention, and according to some testimonies, much worse. You know, if we would be concerned about young women being sent overseas for any other purpose that expose them to sexual harassment and exploitation, then we should apply the same standard here. And now I know some people will say that many women volunteered and had positive experiences, you know, I don't dispute that. But positive experiences do not erase harmful ones. We wouldn't apply that standard anywhere else. You know, the fact that some people weren't harmed is never a reason to ignore those who were. Some children had great experiences in church, yet safeguarding policies still exist because others were abused. Some women married young and lived happily lives, yet countries around the world banned child marriage to protect vulnerable girls. Positive experiences don't cancel out harmful ones. They simply remind us that our responsibility is to protect everyone, especially those most at risk. We also need to ask why young women are expected to serve groups of men in the first place. Why can't men serve their own cover without a woman? If a father knew his daughter would spend hours around intoxicated old men making inappropriate comments, most would remove her immediately. But once tradition enters the conversation, people often feel pressured to stay quiet or defend the status quo. And the same thing happens in many institutions. Churches, quoted, Schools, sports organizations, and communities, they have all struggled with problems that persisted because people protect their reputations instead of listening to victims. Now silence allows harmful behavior to continue. One of the most encouraging parts of this campaign has been seeing women realize they are not alone. And how many thought their experiences were isolated until they heard others share similar stories. Suddenly what they had carried privately for years finally had a name and a community that understood. Culture is important, but protecting women and children must always come first. If something is causing harm, then we should have the courage to acknowledge it and ask how we can do better. As we wrap up this discussion, I want to talk about the role communities play in keeping systems alive, even when those systems harm the very people they claim to serve. Most parents and grandparents simply passed on what they inherited, you know? They grew up believing these practices were normal, and many never had a reason to question them. That's how generational cycles work. People repeat what they know, but harmful systems survive because entire communities accept them as normal. Now families, churches, leaders, and social expectations all help sustain them. When nobody challenges the practice, the burden falls on women and girls to endure it. That is why the testimonies matter so much. Now these women are not outsiders attacking our culture. They are witnesses. They are telling us what happened to them. You know, the fear, the pressure, sexual harassment, shame, violence, and the feeling that saying no was never really an option. And based on those testimonies, my argument is that though are functions as a form of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Young women are recruited or pressured into serving men, often by people they trust. Human trafficking is not only about crossing borders, you know, it is also about exploitation, control, economic vulnerability, and the abuse of power. When one woman is serving a group of men outnumbered by a group of men at night, you know, there is a power imbalance there. The men will always have the power, and they can do whatever they want to the woman. When women and girls are expected to participate because of family pressure, cultural obligations or financial need, and when refusal brings consequences, we have to ask serious questions about freedom, consent, and exploitation. Our history shows that societies can change. Child labor, child marriage, racial segregation and you know other longstanding traditions were defended for generations before people recognized the harm they caused. Reform did not destroy those societies, it strengthened them. And the same principle applies here. Protecting women and children must come before preserving any custom that places them at risk. And as Christians, we believe Christ comes before culture, and Jesus defended the vulnerable and challenged traditions whenever they stood in the way of justice, mercy and truth. Now no practice should be beyond examination, especially when the people most affected are telling us that they have been harmed. The women who have spoken out are not trying to destroy our identity, they are asking us to build something better for the next generation. They want daughters and granddaughters to grow up without fear, without pressure to doa, and without expectation that they must sacrifice their dignity for the benefit of others. Whether people ultimately agree with my conclusion or not, I believe we can no longer ignore what these testimonies reveal. They demand accountability, reform, and a serious conversation about the relationship between doa, exploitation, and human trafficking. So what is human trafficking? According to the Australian Federal Police website, it says human trafficking and slavery come in many forms, but every form violates human rights and involves the exploitation of people. Human trafficking comprises two key elements movement and control. People who have been trafficked have been moved from their locations, sometimes internationally. The control their abusers have over them takes many forms and can be difficult to identify. It could look like abduction, deception, abuse of power, or opposition of leadership, fraud, paying other people to cane consent, take advantage of vulnerability. This control means ongoing exploitation which could look like slavery, servitude, deceptive recruiting, debt bondage, forced labour, forced labour. That is where the word comes in. Forced marriage, domestic child trafficking, trafficking of persons between countries and within Australia and organ trafficking. Women and children are forced to serve cover to these men and get sexually harassed. That is forced labor, though it's not legal in Tonga. And when young women are being forced to do that, that is forced labor and debt force under human trafficking. And that violates human rights. Abuse of power or a position of leadership. Exactly what happens in Faigawa. Taking advantage of vulnerability, women are being sent out overseas to stay with family members and they get sexually exploited to Doa for money. You see? And this is how Doa is a form of human trafficking. According to the United Nations, human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipts of people through force, fraud or deception with the aim of exploiting them for profit. Men, women and children of all ages and from all backgrounds can become victims of this crime, which occurs in every region of the world. The traffickers often use violent or fraudulent employment agencies and fake promises of education and job opportunities to trick and coerce their victims. Exactly. This is exactly what happened to Doha. You know, young women are sent overseas. One of the thing the testimony she was sent overseas to study, but she was forced to Doha for money to send to her family by her uncle, her own family members, and then she that's where she was sexually abused in Faigawa. She was raped. Forced labor. She didn't want to go. That is human trafficking. That is forced labor and taking advantage of vulnerability. That is how Doa is connected to human trafficking. That is why it's important to educate ourselves so we know that what we are doing is wrong. You can't just put culture under practice and then it's immediately okay when all these descriptions of human trafficking is showing has been part of the Doha practice for decades, you know? So human trafficking is not just sending overseas. It's anywhere. So many testimonies of young women who were forced by their family members to do in our campaign. If you haven't read it, please go and read it. Because there are so many testimonies of young women, teenagers, 13 years old, 14 years old, were raped by the fai government because they do are. They were forced by their family members to do. That is trafficking, that is human trafficking. And that is what I'm trying to ban. Because if we let it continue, young women will grow up in the future and they will be exploited and they will continue to be raped by these fai government. That is why I'm trying to ban it. To stop human trafficking in FAIKA. To stop sexual exploitation in FAIKA. That is why I'm trying to stop it. Because if we don't, it'll keep happening to our young women. And we don't we don't want that as a society, especially as a Christian society, we don't want that. Reform needs to happen. This practice needs to be banned to protect our women and children. Thank you very much for listening. I hope you learned something today. And um share it with anyone who would like to know, share it with the FI government, your family members to know that what they're doing is wrong. And protect your children and look out for each other out there.