Bangkok (Thailand), 30 July 2016 - Today marks the third annual World Day against Trafficking in Persons, celebrated on July 30. The initiative, launched two years ago by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), aims to raise awareness of the importance of taking action to combat trafficking in persons and calls upon governments to implement the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime. The dangers of the systemic issue has been brought to public awareness by the Blue Heart Campaign, which emphasises the seriousness of trafficking in persons related to the current crisis of refugees and migrants.
The day comes on the back of ASEAN Member States Thailand, Singapore, and Cambodia ratifying the ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (ACTIP) to help and protect the victims and the rights of trafficked migrants, and promote effective international cooperation to bring criminals to justice.
According to UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov said: "Armed conflicts and humanitarian crises expose those caught in the crossfire to increased risk of being trafficked for sexual exploitation, forced labour, organ removal, servitude and other forms of slavery."
Mr. Fedotov said UNODC's new Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, to be released later this year, would show the link between human trafficking and refugee flows from countries.
Turning to what the international community can do to eliminate human trafficking the UNODC Chief noted that "for too long, migrant smugglers and human traffickers have gone about their business with impunity".
Mr. Fedotov said UNODC's new Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, to be released later this year, would show the link between human trafficking and refugee flows from various regions.
Turning to what the international community can do to eliminate human trafficking the UNODC Chief noted that "for too long, migrant smugglers and human traffickers have gone about their business with impunity".
"But," he said, "we know how to fight this fight." Mr. Fedotov called on the international community to stop human traffickers and migrant smugglers as part of the coordinated response to the refugee crisis and migration challenge.
As part of the ongoing efforts to curb human trafficking, UNODC implements capacity-building training for investigators to equip them with the skills on how to combat the global issue. The project, ongoing from January 2016 to September 2017 and conducted in Malaysia, engages in capacity-building activities for law enforcement investigators working on trafficking in persons to enhance the effectiveness of their investigations. In line with the intention of creatively delivering effective capacity-building skills, UNODC's Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Programme is conducting a needs assessment to explore in-depth how best to structure aid conducted through a variety of different forms-from seminars, workshops, embedded advisory services, to one-on-one mentoring.
Additionally, in order to reduce the devastating impact of human trafficking, UNODC advised the government of Lao PDR on their new anti-human trafficking laws last year, as part of the continuing efforts to assist member states to bring their anti-human trafficking legislations to international standards.
The signing of the ASEAN Convention against Trafficking in Persons in November 2015 once again saw ASEAN countries committing to strengthen cooperation on investigations and prosecutions. The convention was a response to growing trafficking concerns in 2015 amid humanitarian crises, and pledged to adopt a plan of action dedicated to strengthening the rule of law and border control among ASEAN Member States, as well as intensifying efforts to prosecute trafficking in persons cases, and strengthening regional cooperation based on shared responsibilities to effectively address demand and supply that fosters all forms of trafficking in persons, especially women and children, that leads to trafficking.
The challenge for law enforcement today is to engage in operations that are coordinated across the region to disrupt criminal networks in source, transit and destination countries simultaneously, along with quality information and intelligence on smuggling and associated trafficking.
Due to a lack of regular reliable data and research in Asia, policy-makers face difficulties to form an accurate picture of victims, how they are smuggled and trafficked, and the criminal organisations involved, forcing authorities to develop their strategies without concrete information. By demanding more coherent region-wide cooperation and information-sharing, UNODC has been stressing the importance of harmonising smuggling and trafficking legislation in line with the UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and of strengthening and expanding existing mechanisms for a more immediate impact.
On this year's UN World Day against Trafficking in Persons on 30 July, UNODC calls for further law enforcement cooperation in Southeast Asia that translates into meaningful action.
Click here to read more about UNODC's programme on combating Human Trafficking in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
