ASEAN makes efforts to reduce human trafficking
5/10/16
An ASEAN conference on the application of laws, policies and practices to
the identification, management and treatment of victims of trafficking,
especially women and children, was held in Jakarta, Indonesia on later September.
Jointly organised by the ASEAN
Secretariat and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID),
the event aimed to bolster cooperation in preventing and combating human
trafficking, especially women and children, as well as providing support to
victims.
ASEAN Deputy Secretary General
Vongthap Arthakaivalvatee said the event marked the implementation of legal
frameworks in combating and managing human trafficking among ASEAN’s country
members.
Human trafficking has reached
alarming level and effective measures are urgently needed to address this
problem, he said.
Delegates at the event
acknowledged that the establishment of the ASEAN Community has fostered free
trade and movement among nations; however human trafficking has also increased.
The situation needs close cooperation between countries.
ASEAN’s country members have
developed the ASEAN Convention against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women
and Children (ACTIP and APA) in order to combat such crime.
A standard process for member
countries to identify victims of human trafficking will be built and discussed
at the 11th Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative
against Trafficking (COMMIT) which is scheduled for November, 2016 in Laos./.
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Regional leaders inaugurated the Asean Community at the end of 2015 to bring their 10 countries closer - not only for economic integration, but also on security-political issues as well as social and cultural affairs.
One test for this dream of Community is whether the lives of ordinary citizens will improve, and one hard issue will be the ongoing tragedy of trafficking in persons.
millions of victims are being trafficked across Asean to work in different sectors - including the sex industry, fishing and on plantations.
Accurate figures for the region are debatable but, for Asia-Pacific, the International Labour Organisation estimates that there are now more than 11.7 million victims of forced labour. A much stronger effort is needed to stem the illegal trafficking in persons.
Human trafficking in regions such as Southeast Asia have long been a problem for the area and still is prevalent today.
It has been observed that as economies continue to grow, the demand for labor is at an all-time high in the industrial sector and the sex tourism sector.
A mix of impoverished individuals and the desire for more wealth creates an environment for human traffickers to benefit in the Southeast Asia region.
Many nations within the region have taken preventative measures to end human trafficking within their borders and punish traffickers operating there.
The main causes of human trafficking in Southeast Asia are universal factors such as poverty and globalization.
Even as the industry is looked down upon today there is still a large underground market that is demanding from traffickers.
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