Human trafficking is an unacceptable serious human rights violation in the community and a big challenge all countries around the world are facing. People, especially from less developed countries, often fall victim to human trafficking while migrating to developed countries for seeking employment opportunities.
Governmental and non-governmental organizations including the Anti-human Trafficking Police Force under the Myanmar Police Force through collaborative efforts are combatting human trafficking in persons in all forms to be able to save the trafficked victims at home and abroad.
The government marks the Myanmar Anti-Trafficking in Persons Day which falls on 13 September every year since 2013. The Central Body for Suppression of Trafficking in Persons adopted the objectives of 2022 Myanmar Anti-Trafficking in Persons Day with the theme Use and Abuse of Technology: To mobilize the participation of all citizens in combatting human trafficking as a national duty; To have the public instilled with awareness about and knowledge of trafficking in persons; To protect and care trafficked victims with empathy; and To strengthen cooperation and coordination among all counter-trafficking stakeholders government agencies, civil society organizations, UN agencies, international organizations and the general public.
Five major human trafficking cases in Myanmar have forced marriages, forced prostitution, forced labour, trafficking of children and debt bondage. Hence, the 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. As such, all the people need to join hands with the government, NGOs and INGOs in fighting the human traffickers to save the victims from the plights.
Every year thousands of men, women and children are trafficked in various forms and more than half of them are from the Asia-Pacific region. Most of the cases of trafficking in persons are based on poverty and a lack of awareness of the rights of humans. As such, 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 into the basic education curriculum in order to raise public awareness on the risks of trafficking in persons.
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 combatting the cases of trafficking in persons in the country so as to build a safe and sound society.
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 combatting the cases of trafficking in persons in the country so as to build a safe and sound society.
