I would like to extend my warm greetings and sincerely wish all esteemed people of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar physical and mental well-being.
Myanmar has designated combating trafficking in persons as a national cause since 1997, and it has been carrying out activities of anti-trafficking in persons in accordance with the existing laws. In order to raise awareness of the entire people of Myanmar for preventing and combating trafficking in persons, Myanmar has marked 13 September, the day the country enacted the Anti-trafficking in Persons Law, as “Myanmar’s Anti-Trafficking in Persons Day”, today is the 12th Anniversary of Anti-Trafficking in Persons Day in Myanmar.
Human trafficking was exposed as a form of modern slavery in the late twentieth century and has become a global evolving issue. According to the estimates of international experts, trafficking in persons is the second most profitable business after narcotic drug trading.
Human trafficking not only poses a serious threat to the human rights and dignity of individuals but also creates negative impacts on societies. As the traffickers are making high profits, human trafficking is knocking not only in Myanmar but also in other countries.
Myanmar acceded to the 2000 United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNCTOC) and its protocols: the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children; and the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air on 30 March 2004. Moreover, it also ratified the ASEAN Convention against Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (ACTIP) on 6 January 2017.
Myanmar has concerted its best efforts to address the issues of trafficking in persons as a national cause by systematically forming four working committees and local bodies for the prevention of trafficking in persons at different levels under the guidance of the Central Body for Suppression of Trafficking in Persons (CBTIP).
With the participation of the relevant ministries, the Central Body for Suppression of Trafficking in Persons (CBTIP) has been playing the leading role in developing and implementing the Five-year National Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons, in accordance with three Strategies, four Tactics and four Thematic Areas for prevention of human trafficking, taking legal action against the crimes and protection of the victims.
Currently, relevant ministries have been strenuously implementing the activities of the 2024 Annual Work Plan, the third-year plan of the Fourth Five-year National Plan of Action (2022-2026) in a timely manner.
It is observed that human trafficking issues in Myanmar are linked to the market demand of neighbouring countries and some Middle East countries. According to the number of cases reported annually, the percentage of domestic trafficking in persons accounts for 56 per cent and trafficking in persons to other countries for 44 per cent. Domestic trafficking in persons is mostly found in forced prostitution and forced labour cases. The cases of being trafficked to foreign countries involve forced marriage, forced prostitution, forced labour, forced adoption, forced begging, selling children and debt bondage. Moreover, forced surrogacy was identified as the case of being trafficked to a neighbouring country in 2024.
It is observed that traffickers deceived and recruited young women and girls from Yangon, Ayeyawady, Bago regions and Nay Pyi Taw and trafficked them to neighbouring countries in the past and that nowadays, victims are being transferred to traffickers in border areas of Myanmar or brokers in neighbouring countries for trafficking.
The young women and girls from Rakhine State, Yangon, Ayeyawady, Bago regions and Nay Pyi Taw are deceived, recruited and transported to Muse, Laukkai, Mongpauk, and Tachilek in Northern and Eastern Shan State and trafficked for forced prostitution and forced labour.
It is also found that although only people with low levels of education were trafficked due to poverty and lack of job opportunities in Myanmar in the past, even educated people have become victims of human trafficking nowadays. Taking advantage of advanced technology, traffickers give incentives to people and persuade them through social media such as Facebook, WeChat, Telegram, and TikTok to commit online scams. It is observed that in connection with online scamming, they are committing exploitation, forced labour, forced marriage, and forced surrogacy through human trafficking, illegal recruitment and deception.
Online scamming and online gambling are being operated illegally in countries in the region, including Myanmar, and it is found that foreigners are being deceived online and forced to work. Such a trend has been named internationally as a new emerging trend of human trafficking.
The government of Myanmar has been putting its best efforts into suppressing online scams, and people who were forced to work in these online scams were rescued and repatriated to their place of origin. In such cases, it was observed that the individuals recruited also included foreigners from outside the region. Priority has been given to control such cases by making the best efforts to suppress them in cooperation with other countries. Awareness-raising activities are also being conducted to educate people about online scamming.
The Supervisory Committee for Deportation and Repatriation of Foreign Nationals was established on 29 November 2023 to take action, deport and repatriate the detained foreigners who illegally entered Myanmar, in accordance with the law. The Committee, in cooperation with relevant organizations, has been conducting screening online scamming cases occurring in border areas, and potential victims have been handed over to respective countries for repatriation.
In addition, regarding the request received through foreign embassies in Myanmar and the National Central Bureau for the foreigners who arrived in Myanmar through border areas for different reasons and were facing difficulties, the repatriation activities for the rescued individuals to each respective country were also implemented.
Myanmar has been promoting cooperation with the United Nations, neighbouring countries, Mekong regional countries, BIMSTEC member countries and ASEAN member countries for activities related to combating trafficking in persons. Moreover, the BIMSTEC Convention against Trafficking in Persons, Terms of Reference (ToR) and BIMSTEC Plans of Action on Combating Trafficking in Persons, which will be implemented among BIMSTEC member countries, have been finalized and adopted.
The Ministerial Level Meetings, Senior Officials Level Meetings and the Meetings of COMMIT Regional Task Force under the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative against Trafficking (COMMIT) were successfully organized, and Sub-Regional Plans of Action (SPAs) to effectively combat trafficking in persons in the region have been developed. The respective governments, including Myanmar, are currently implementing SPA-IV. Relevant ministries have been implementing the activities under this action plan and accelerating regional and international cooperation.
In 2023, Myanmar also hosted the Meetings on Cooperation to Combat Trafficking in Persons between the Myanmar Police Force and the Department of Special Investigation of Thailand, between the Myanmar Police Force and Royal Thai Police, and between the Myanmar Police Force and China’s Police Force.
The meetings discussed the issues related to combating regional and transnational human trafficking, prevention of human trafficking, rescue of victims, investigation of cases, including those committed by using social media as well as offenders, and activities for combatting trafficking in persons are being extensively carried out.
As prevention is an effective measure, awareness related to human trafficking crimes, articles, poems, short stories, songs and educational dialogues/talks are being broadcast through public media and educational news about human trafficking crimes is being disseminated via SMS. In addition, hotline phones are extended to receive complaints related to human trafficking cases to investigate in a timely manner, take action and rescue the victims.
Moreover, talks on human trafficking, installing billboards, distribution of pamphlets and putting stickers at crowded places such as bus stations, seaports, airports and railway stations are being implemented not only in urban areas but also in rural ones in collaboration with relevant Ministries and departments.
Awareness raising on human trafficking and safe migration are being carried out, and as a prevention measure, WhatsApp QR code and Viber QR code that can be used to report to the Anti-Trafficking Task Force for help are distributed to those who are leaving the country.
In Myanmar, awareness raising for the community who are at high risk of being trafficked, such as people with low income, manual labourers, street people, and teenagers being conducted as a prevention measure in close collaboration with community-based organizations, the Department of Social Welfare, the Department of Rehabilitation, Women Affairs Associations and Maternal and Child Welfare Association, and other relevant organizations,
Regarding Myanmar’s combative actions against trafficking in persons, 64 cases were promptly taken actions against the offenders in accordance with the law in 2023. Out of the offenders of those 64 cases, 5 offenders were sentenced to life imprisonment, 2 to 40 years of imprisonment, 1 to 25 years of imprisonment, 20 to 20 years of imprisonment and 83 to 15 years imprisonment, respectively.
Awareness raising activities on the risks of trafficking related to illegal migration for jobs are being carried out for those who are planning to go abroad for seeking jobs. Such risks include potential of facing with trafficking, forced labour, difficulties in finding job, and violation of labour rights.
Through investigation, it has been found out that Myanmar nationals are given incentives and illegally recruited to Middle East countries including neighbouring countries. Measures have been taken against those illegal actors under the Overseas Employment Law and the victims have been lawfully assisted. In 2023, under the Overseas Employment Law, legal actions were taken against 199 cases in total, comprising 174 male offenders and 209 female offenders, which make 383 offenders in total.
In order to provide the best assistance to victims of trafficking in persons, the National Standard Operating Procedures {NSOPs) on Return/Repatriation, Reintegration and Rehabilitation of Trafficked Persons was adopted in 2020 and procedures under the NSOPs were acknowledged to be applied in providing services to victims at Anti trafficking bodies at Region/State/District levels.
Victims of human trafficking are being supported and assisted for securing their livelihoods, rehabilitation, counseling, reunification with family, vocational and skills training depending on individual’s need. The victims are also provided with travel costs, food rations, medical expenses and further follow-up support needed for sustaining life during legal proceeding process. Furthermore, the provision of necessary assistance to victims of trafficking, referral and further follow-up support are also being provided, in coordination with relevant ministries.
For the development of a country, raising and nurturing children, who are the human resource of the future, respecting their dignity accordingly, avoiding discrimination and protecting them from physical and mental harm are being emphasized.
Therefore, in harmony with the motto of this year, the Twelfth Anti-Trafficking in Persons Day 2024, “Leave No Child Behind in the Fight Against Human Trafficking”, I believe that we can prevent the human trafficking of women and children by accelerating the activities of protecting the rights of victims of human trafficking, particularly the rights of women and children; prioritizing their safety and security and protecting them from physical, mental and social harm.
