Message from Lieutenant General Soe Htut, Union Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs, Chairman of Central Body for Suppression of Trafficking in Persons
9th
Myanmar Anti-Trafficking in Persons Day
13
September 2021
1. The issue of trafficking in persons has re-emerged as a modern form of slavery in the late 20th century. It can be regarded as an inhumane exploitation and a violation of human rights. Nowadays, trafficking in persons occurs in various forms at the global scale, and it becomes a global problem. It is found that the impacts of trafficking in persons strike more on the developing nations. Trafficking in persons is not like a traditional crime, and it is a complex and multidimensional issue linked to development, poverty, natural disasters as well as cross-border matters among others. Though the international community puts its utmost efforts to address the issue, it recognizes that the number of trafficking in persons related cases remains high.
2.
Myanmar defined all forms of trafficking in persons as crime and considered
addressing the issue as a national priority since 1997. The Provisional
Government of Myanmar with the involvement of relevant ministries, has
developed five-year projects on prevention, protection and prosecution of
trafficking in persons and annual plans have been formulated under each
five-year project for its implementation. In order to improve public
participation in combating trafficking in persons, Anti-trafficking in Persons
Day of Myanmar is marked annually on 13th September and the day has been
observed in Nay Pyi Taw and other regions/states every year. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the ceremony of the Anti-trafficking in Persons Day
of Myanmar could not be organized and instead online campaigns to raise
awareness on the trafficking in persons were conducted.
3.
Nowadays, the number of trafficking in persons across the world is increasing
and it becomes a threat among the most vulnerable communities. It is found that
70 percent of victims of trafficking in persons were women and children. The
implication of COVID-19 pandemic such as fewer job opportunities, higher
poverty rate, closure of schools and using online channels to recruit victims
exacerbate the problem of trafficking in persons. According to the Global
Report on Trafficking in Persons 2020 of the United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime (UNODC), the patterns and flows of trafficking in persons are changing
and child trafficking and forced labour are occurring increasingly due to the
abuses committed by traffickers who exploit the victims over extreme poverty,
vulnerability and socio-economic factors.
4.
Furthermore, the Report also describes that the traffickers are recruiting the
victims through the use of modern internet technology. The spread of the
COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions have affected the economic development
and resulted in the increase of trafficking in persons related cases among the
vulnerable communities. Due to unemployment problems along with lack of job
opportunity, women and children become major targets for traffickers. According
to the study of the Human Rights First organization, 120 million people are
being trafficked and $150 billion is gained as a benefit annually, and there
are over 25 million people trafficked in the Asia region alone.
5.
While the global issue of trafficking in persons is on the rise, the most
common form of trafficking in persons is sexual exploitation with 79 percent
followed by the forced labour with 18 percent. On the other hand, the COVID-19
restrictions are posing a challenge in providing services to counter
trafficking in person, combatting the crime and delivering protection
assistance. The ASEAN member states are cooperating in various sectors for
tackling trafficking in persons, ASEAN Convention against Trafficking in
Persons was adopted in 2012. The Senior Officials Working Group on trafficking
in persons and Heads of Specialist Units were formed and regional cooperation
working plans are developed and implemented.
6.
Myanmar signed the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized
Crime including combating trafficking in persons on 30 March 2004, and the
Anti-trafficking in Persons Law was enacted on 13 September 2005. The Central
Body for Suppression of Trafficking in Persons was formed on 11 February 2006
and Five-Year Anti-Trafficking in Persons Projects were developed to reduce the
cases of trafficking in persons locally or transnationally and to identify the
new forms of trafficking in persons.
7.
In Myanmar, one of the key factors which contribute to trafficking in persons
is the desire to find a decent work and many victims fall prey to brokers and
human traffickers. Forms of trafficking in persons found in Myanmar include
forced marriage and forced pregnancy by cross-border perpetrators, forced
labour on fishing boats and debt bondage against disadvantaged people.
8.
In Myanmar, the five-year projects on Combating Trafficking in Persons have
been developed since 2007 with four focus areas namely policy and cooperation,
prevention, prosecution and protection and these projects are being implemented
in cooperation with relevant ministries, United Nations agencies, international
organizations, non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations.
In this year, 2021, the Central Body for Suppression of Trafficking in Persons
and working groups, Committees, regional/state/district/township level
anti-trafficking in persons teams have been re-organized.
9.
In order to raise public awareness on the risks of trafficking in persons,
Myanmar promotes different educational activities such as broadcasting
educational movies and songs on TV channels in collaboration with media
organizations, distributing pamphlets, setting up Billboards, sending SMS via
mobile phone operators and incorporating the subject in the basic education
curriculum. 24-hour hotlines were installed and extended in Yangon, Mandalay
and Muse in addition to Nay Pyi Taw which enable identifying and rescuing the
victims and taking action against perpetrators in a timely manner. In addition,
Migrant Resource Centers have been opened for raising awareness and providing
information to potential migrants and their families.
10.
With regard to the protection of victims, the National Standard Operating
Procedures (SoPs) on repatriation, reintegration and rehabilitation of victims
of trafficking in persons was published and introduced to the Central Body for
Suppression and Prevention of Trafficking in Persons and other relevant
departments. Under the National SoPs, a wide range of assistance including
livelihood support, providing food, travel and medical expenses to the victims
during the trial process, establishing a separate fund to assist victims of
trafficking in persons, setting up temporary shelters in Myawady, Muse,
Kawthoung, Mandalay and Yangon have been channeled. During the COVID-19
pandemic, the victims of trafficking in persons receive personal protective
equipment and COVID-19 tests from the Ministry of Health. Also within this
year, there is a plan to construct a new temporary shelter for the victims in
Kachin State.
11.
From the end of the 8th Myanmar Anti-Trafficking in Persons Day until 26th
August 2021, a total of 48 victims of trafficking in persons including 4 male
and 44 female from 35 cases of trafficking in persons were rescued, 31 cases of
trafficking in persons were prosecuted and a total of 101 offenders, including
39 male and 62 female were prosecuted. In 2020, a total of 315 victims, including
2 male and 313 female received 2,297,600 Kyats for travel, 1,732,500 Kyats for
food, 48,000 Kyats for medicine and medical treatment of one female victim, and
a total of 46 victims, including one male victim and 45 female victims received
46,000,000 Kyats for their rehabilitation. In 2021, a total of 93 victims,
including one male and 92 female received 1,082,000 Kyats for travel, 1,228,000
Kyats for food and 10 female victims received 10,000,000 Kyats for their
rehabilitation.
12.
Regarding the international cooperation, Myanmar has signed a number of
treaties including the United Nations Convention against Transnational
Organized Crime and its Protocols namely, the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and
Punish Trafficking in Persons especially on Women and Children and the Protocol
against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air. In addition, Myanmar is
a member of the Cooperative Project against Trafficking in Persons of the Six
Greater Mekong Sub-Region (six GMS nations) and the ASEAN Convention against
Trafficking in Persons. Bilateral Memoranda of Understanding against
Trafficking in Persons with China, Thailand, Laos, and India were signed to
further improve the cooperative mechanisms in combatting trafficking in
persons.
13.
In December 2020, the Regional Working Group Meeting of the Coordinated Mekong
Ministerial Initiative against Trafficking in Persons and the 14th Senior
Officials Meeting were held virtually, and discussed the matters pertaining to
the ongoing measures regarding new emerging routes of trafficking in persons,
potentials of trafficking in persons during migration, innovative measures on
combating trafficking in persons as well as effective responses to eradicate
exploitation. The 17th SOMTC Working Group Meeting on trafficking in persons
and the 35th Heads of Specialist Units on combating trafficking in persons were
held virtually in July 2021 which created opportunities to share experience and
good practices among ASEAN member states and to implement regional plans for
combating trafficking in persons.
14.
Moreover, the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (8) is to create employment
opportunities and to tackle forced labour and address modern-day slavery and trafficking
in persons effectively, together with sustainable economic development. It is
vital to create enabling environment for the development of small and medium
enterprise (SME) and decent work opportunities in addressing the issue of
trafficking in persons. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a global
economic downturn, and disease control restrictions have resulted in the
serious problems for the most underprivileged, underdeveloped and vulnerable
groups while it allows perpetrators to persuade the victims with false hope.
15.
Misuse of information technologies by traffickers also poses a challenge to
suppression of trafficking in persons. Since the issue of trafficking in
persons links to economic development, human resource development, capacity to
implement the policies strategies and technology development, the following
measures will be needed to adopt immediately:-
(a)
Prevention of trafficking in persons be part of the national economic
development plans;
(b)
Poverty reduction which is the main source of the issue of trafficking in persons
and therefore, poverty alleviation plans be implemented effectively;
(c)
To enhance the performance of Community Watch groups (CWG) and improve the
cooperation with the local authorities;
(d)
To encourage the participation of the community and private organizations in
awareness-raising activities on trafficking in persons;
(e)
To conduct research and studies on combating the trafficking in persons during
and the post COVID-19 pandemic, and apply the findings practically;
(f)
To explore the effective ways to respond based on the victims’ experiences;
(g)
To enhance cooperation with trafficking in persons suppression organizations
from neighbouring countries and collaborate with them in investigation on
transnational trafficking in persons cases, and to improve the use of online
technology for investigation.
16.
In accordance with the motto of the 9th ceremony for Anti-trafficking in
persons Day 2021 ‘Prevent, Rescue, Assist and Listen to the voice of the
trafficked victim’, it is important that the victims of trafficking in persons
should be treated with respect and dignity and it is firmly believed that the
tireless efforts of Myanmar will greatly contribute to combat trafficking in
persons in the country and beyond.
#TheGlobalNewLightofMyanmar
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