Proposals to fight back against human traffickers and meet the
obligations of a 2004 agreement between six Asian countries have
been submitted for approval by the Chinese government it was
announced Wednesday. ??
At a meeting in Beijing of the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial
Initiative Against Trafficking (COMMIT), Wan Yan, a member of the
group's China office said, "We've submitted the action plan and are
awaiting approval. If approved the plan will help clarify the
responsibilities of all the relevant ministries in combating the
trafficking."
The governments of China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and
Vietnam adopted a comprehensive and strategic Sub-regional Plan of
Action to combat such trafficking in 2004 with member states each
devising their own national plan of action.
"Many thousands of people have been rescued and safely returned
home in the past five years," said Susu Thatun, the program manager
of the United Nations (UN) Inter-Agency Project on Human
Trafficking in the Greater Mekong Sub-region.
Susu said in late 1990s many countries opened their borders to
encourage economic development but this also made the trafficking
easier.
The six members belong to the Greater Mekong Sub-region which is
one of the world's most rampant human trafficking areas. The UN
estimates tens of thousands of women and children from the region
are abducted and sold each year. ?
"No government could singly solve the transnational trafficking
problems except to cooperate on agreed issues and multi-ministerial
collaboration is the only way to fight against this crime," Wan Yan
said.
Many Asian governments were attempting to stop the trafficking
but weren't doing enough and required to speed up taking action in
the future, Susu said. Commenting on China's role in the battle
Susu observed, "China can become a true leader in combating human
trafficking given its economic power and international
influence."
Since 2005 the Chinese government has carried out the principles
of COMMIT including convening high level meetings to discuss the
framework and components for a national plan of action against the
traffickers, strengthening communication, cooperation and
information sharing and launching a campaign against cross-border
trafficking with neighboring countries.
The UN definition of human trafficking refers to the
transportation of persons for sexual exploitation, forced labor or
other illicit activities.
(Xinhua News Agency July 13, 2006)