Raise momentum in combatting trafficking in persons

Trafficking in persons is a modern slavery system which exploits humans without sympathy. The least developed countries are suffering from the bad consequences of trafficking in persons. Currently, as the problem of trafficking in persons is related to transnational crimes, global countries are striving for the prevention of these cases in various ways and means.
Myanmar, which joined the United Nations as a member in 1948, signed the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime on 15 November 2000 and the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children on 30 March 2004.
Moreover, Myanmar participates in the implementation of the Greater Mekong Sub-region six countries’ cooperation in the anti-trafficking in persons project as well as enhances its efforts in cooperation mechanism to prevent trafficking in persons by signing the memoranda of understanding on bilateral cooperation in combatting trafficking in persons with China, Thailand, Laos and India.
In addition, the government of Myanmar joins the transnational crimes including trafficking in persons as of 2004 in cooperation with Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal in the BOMSTEC arena and takes part in the Bali Action Plan of the Asia-Pacific region.
At present, Myanmar set anti-trafficking in persons as a national duty in 1997 by adopting three strategies and four tactics. Furthermore, Myanmar is implementing the Bohol Trafficking in Persons Work Plan (2017-2020) in cooperation with relevant organizations in the ASEAN region.
As part of efforts to raise public awareness about the danger of trafficking in persons, the State-owned media such as daily newspapers and TV programmes feature teleplays and songs. Moreover, pamphlets on trafficking in persons are distributed to the people whereas mobile phone operators send SMS to the customers. Basic education school lessons are inserted with the subject “life skills”. The authorities concerned released hotlines to the people via media for giving information about trafficked victims in Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon and Mandalay so as to timely save them. In addition, the migrant workers’ aid centres are opened for sharing information with those workers and their families.
As modern technologies play a key role in implementing the work plan of anti-trafficking in persons, the entire people should join hands with the government and law enforcement organizations to harmoniously participate in the work process of exchanging information about trafficking in persons and conducting the investigation in exposing the cases of human trafficking in order to lessen these cases in the country.