UN says Asia failing to deal with human trafficking

Trafficking in women and children is on the rise in Asia, but the lack of a plan to combat the trade is hampering the efforts of police, judiciary and rights groups, experts said Friday.

"Trafficking is a fast-growing problem and very trans-boundary in nature and this affects many countries in the Asia region where there is no comprehensive legal framework," said United Nations spokeswoman Thelma Kay.

At the launch of a new UN publication compiling regional laws and codes of conduct in dealing with the trade, she said greater cooperation was needed between government and non-government groups involved in fighting trafficking.

Kay said the book, which is the first comprehensive set of guidelines for dealing with human trafficking, would significantly improve coordination between organizations fighting to protect vulnerable people.

"Cooperation is the absolute key to combating trafficking, but we have to understand what it means ... it does not mean sitting and discussing how good our projects are," said Irena Vojackova-Sollorano from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Vitit Muntabhorn from Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University said a lack of awareness in dealing with the issue was one of the primary obstacles in stopping human trafficking.

"There is still a lot of confusion between human trafficking and human smuggling," said the law professor, adding "the life of a trafficking victim can be like torture."

"We have to understand that we have to work with all parties involved, including the government ... also with local authorities because this is where these things are happening," Vitit said.

Trafficking ranks among the fastest growing transnational crimes. The US State Department believes as many as two million people, the vast majority of them women and children, are trafficked across international borders each year.

For these women and children, promises of jobs and financial security turn into nightmares of sexual slavery, bonded labour and other forms of human rights abuses.(hdfnet)