Trafficking – Asia-Mekong Sub-Region – Plan of Action
Author: Womens UN Report Network
Date: May 15, 2006
Political Rights
Slavery
Child
PRESS
RELEASE
GOVERNMENTS DEMONSTRATE CONCRETE ACTION AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING
12
May 2006
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
The
six Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) Governments (
of action of joint activities to realize their vision of a trafficking-free
Over
thirty senior government officials attended the COMMIT Senior Officials Meeting
in order to review and assess the course of cooperation on trafficking in the
his keynote address to the meeting, H.E. Mr. Sar Kheng, Deputy Prime Minister,
Royal Government of Cambodia highlighted the “need to work together towards the
creation of a society where there is zero tolerance for this type of
unacceptable abuse.”
The
crime of human trafficking continues to prevail in the region. Since the signing
of the historic COMMIT Memorandum of Understanding in Yangon, Myanmar in October
2004 by Ministers of the six countries, the Governments have been active in
laying the foundation for a network of cooperation to stop traffickers and
prosecute them, protect victims of trafficking and assist them return safely
home, and launch efforts to prevent others from sharing the same fate. This
meeting gave the governments and partners in the COMMIT Process a chance to
demonstrate the concrete action that had been taken over the past year, and
fine-tune plans for activities in the coming year, based on agreed
priorities.
H.E.
Dr. Ing Kantha Pavi, Cambodian Minister of Women’s Affairs pointed out that “the
responsibility for all of us to address the human rights abuses resulting from
the crime of human trafficking is an enormous one” but emphasized that “we
cannot rest as long as our citizens continue to be subjected to such inhumane
conditions – in effect, as modern day slaves. The measure of a nation’s
development and progress [will] be ascertained from the protection it affords to
its citizens and in particular the most vulnerable.”
The
COMMIT Sub-regional Plan of Action in focusing on both the areas of law
enforcement and criminal justice, and prevention, protection, recovery and
reintegration of victims sets the standard for anti-trafficking work in the
Asian region. The
Plan itself is a practical roadmap for priority action, buttressed by the
technical expertise and support of UN agencies, international and national NGOs,
and bilateral and multilateral donors.
While
significant achievements from the past year were highlighted, the governments in
the region also acknowledged the challenges that they encountered.
workshop among the COMMIT countries triggered off their recognition to develop
their first National Plan of Action on Human Trafficking.
national law on trafficking in persons, which incorporates victim protection at
its core.
innovative new bilateral arrangement between the two countries to use
information from the community to trace actual missing persons in
repatriation mechanisms to return them home safely.
promoting child safe tourism and reported on their strengthened law enforcement
response. While
implementing their national plan of action on human trafficking, they also
recognize the need to strengthen their capacity in the area of repatriation and
reintegration.
The
UN Resident Coordinator in
confirmed UN support for the COMMIT Process and commended the government-led
process. “With the Sub-regional Plan as your roadmap,” he stated, “and by
keeping a firm focus on the direction and goal, the aspirations outlined in the
COMMIT MOU can be achieved. The work that we do will later be measured against
the impact it will have on the ground. History will remember the GMS governments
of today as leaders in the regional cooperation and commitment to end
trafficking.”
Major
donors have already committed to support the implementation of these activities.
The Government of Norway has pledged approximately US $1 million and the SEARCH
Project (a CIDA-supported regional project) has committed approximately US $
800,000.
The
Secretariat for the COMMIT Process is the UN Inter-Agency Project on Human
Trafficking in the GMS (UNIAP). Since its inception, the COMMIT initiative has
received funds from the Government of Norway, SEARCH (a CIDA-supported project),
ADB, AUSAID, NZAID, the Government of the
UNODC, Save the Children UK, World Vision International and International
Organization for Migration (IOM).
For
further information please contact:
Ms.
Melissa Stewart
COMMIT
Secretariat
UNIAP
Regional Information & Communications Officer
Tel: c/o Cambodiana Hotel: +855 23 218 189/426 288 (
2006
Fax: c/o Cambodiana Hotel:
+855 23 426 392 (
2006
Email:
melissa.stewart@un.or.th
+85592296450
Ms.
Kristy Fleming
COMMIT
Secretariat
UNIAP
Assistant
Email:
kristy.fleming@undp.org
+85592269205
Dr.
Susu Thatun
COMMIT
Secretariat
UNIAP
Programme Manager
Tel: (662) 288-2310
Email:
susu.thatun@un.or.th
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Categories: Releases