Message from Lieutenant General Soe Htut, Union Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs, Chairman of Central Body for Suppression of Trafficking in Persons
9th Myanmar Anti-Trafficking in Persons Day
13 September 2021
1. The issue of trafficking in persons has re-emerged as a modern form of slavery in the late 20th century. It can be regarded as an inhumane exploitation and a violation of human rights. Nowadays, trafficking in persons occurs in various forms at the global scale, and it becomes a global problem. It is found that the impacts of trafficking in persons strike more on the developing nations. Trafficking in persons is not like a traditional crime, and it is a complex and multidimensional issue linked to development, poverty, natural disasters as well as cross-border matters among others. Though the international community puts its utmost efforts to address the issue, it recognizes that the number of trafficking in persons related cases remains high.
2. Myanmar defined all forms of trafficking in persons as crime and considered addressing the issue as a national priority since 1997. The Provisional Government of Myanmar with the involvement of relevant ministries, has developed five-year projects on prevention, protection and prosecution of trafficking in persons and annual plans have been formulated under each five-year project for its implementation. In order to improve public participation in combating trafficking in persons, Anti-trafficking in Persons Day of Myanmar is marked annually on 13th September and the day has been observed in Nay Pyi Taw and other regions/states every year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the ceremony of the Anti-trafficking in Persons Day of Myanmar could not be organized and instead online campaigns to raise awareness on the trafficking in persons were conducted.
3. Nowadays, the number of trafficking in persons across the world is increasing and it becomes a threat among the most vulnerable communities. It is found that 70 percent of victims of trafficking in persons were women and children. The implication of COVID-19 pandemic such as fewer job opportunities, higher poverty rate, closure of schools and using online channels to recruit victims exacerbate the problem of trafficking in persons. According to the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2020 of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the patterns and flows of trafficking in persons are changing and child trafficking and forced labour are occurring increasingly due to the abuses committed by traffickers who exploit the victims over extreme poverty, vulnerability and socio-economic factors.
4. Furthermore, the Report also describes that the traffickers are recruiting the victims through the use of modern internet technology. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions have affected the economic development and resulted in the increase of trafficking in persons related cases among the vulnerable communities. Due to unemployment problems along with lack of job opportunity, women and children become major targets for traffickers. According to the study of the Human Rights First organization, 120 million people are being trafficked and $150 billion is gained as a benefit annually, and there are over 25 million people trafficked in the Asia region alone.
5. While the global issue of trafficking in persons is on the rise, the most common form of trafficking in persons is sexual exploitation with 79 percent followed by the forced labour with 18 percent. On the other hand, the COVID-19 restrictions are posing a challenge in providing services to counter trafficking in person, combatting the crime and delivering protection assistance. The ASEAN member states are cooperating in various sectors for tackling trafficking in persons, ASEAN Convention against Trafficking in Persons was adopted in 2012. The Senior Officials Working Group on trafficking in persons and Heads of Specialist Units were formed and regional cooperation working plans are developed and implemented.
6. Myanmar signed the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime including combating trafficking in persons on 30 March 2004, and the Anti-trafficking in Persons Law was enacted on 13 September 2005. The Central Body for Suppression of Trafficking in Persons was formed on 11 February 2006 and 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.
7. In Myanmar, one of the key factors which contribute to trafficking in persons is the desire to find a decent work and many victims fall prey to brokers and human traffickers. Forms of trafficking in persons found in Myanmar include forced marriage and forced pregnancy by cross-border perpetrators, forced labour on fishing boats and debt bondage against disadvantaged people.
8. In Myanmar, the five-year projects on Combating Trafficking in Persons have been developed since 2007 with four focus areas namely policy and cooperation, prevention, prosecution and protection and these projects are being implemented in cooperation with relevant ministries, United Nations agencies, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations. In this year, 2021, the Central Body for Suppression of Trafficking in Persons and working groups, Committees, regional/state/district/township level anti-trafficking in persons teams have been re-organized.
9. In order to raise public awareness on the risks of trafficking in persons, 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 in the basic education curriculum. 24-hour hotlines were installed and extended in Yangon, Mandalay and Muse in addition to Nay Pyi Taw which enable identifying and rescuing the victims and taking action against perpetrators in a timely manner. In addition, Migrant Resource Centers have been opened for raising awareness and providing information to potential migrants and their families.
10. With regard to the protection of victims, the National Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) on repatriation, reintegration and rehabilitation of victims of trafficking in persons was published and introduced to the Central Body for Suppression and Prevention of Trafficking in Persons and other relevant departments. Under the National SoPs, a wide range of assistance including livelihood support, providing food, travel and medical expenses to the victims during the trial process, establishing a separate fund to assist victims of trafficking in persons, setting up temporary shelters in Myawady, Muse, Kawthoung, Mandalay and Yangon have been channeled. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the victims of trafficking in persons receive personal protective equipment and COVID-19 tests from the Ministry of Health. Also within this year, there is a plan to construct a new temporary shelter for the victims in Kachin State.
11. From the end of the 8th Myanmar Anti-Trafficking in Persons Day until 26th August 2021, a total of 48 victims of trafficking in persons including 4 male and 44 female from 35 cases of trafficking in persons were rescued, 31 cases of trafficking in persons were prosecuted and a total of 101 offenders, including 39 male and 62 female were prosecuted. In 2020, a total of 315 victims, including 2 male and 313 female received 2,297,600 Kyats for travel, 1,732,500 Kyats for food, 48,000 Kyats for medicine and medical treatment of one female victim, and a total of 46 victims, including one male victim and 45 female victims received 46,000,000 Kyats for their rehabilitation. In 2021, a total of 93 victims, including one male and 92 female received 1,082,000 Kyats for travel, 1,228,000 Kyats for food and 10 female victims received 10,000,000 Kyats for their rehabilitation.
12. Regarding the international cooperation, Myanmar has signed a number of treaties including the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocols namely, the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons especially on Women and Children and the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air. In addition, Myanmar is a member of the Cooperative Project against Trafficking in Persons of the Six Greater Mekong Sub-Region (six GMS nations) and the ASEAN Convention against Trafficking in Persons. Bilateral Memoranda of Understanding against Trafficking in Persons with China, Thailand, Laos, and India were signed to further improve the cooperative mechanisms in combatting trafficking in persons.
13. In December 2020, the Regional Working Group Meeting of the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative against Trafficking in Persons and the 14th Senior Officials Meeting were held virtually, and discussed the matters pertaining to the ongoing measures regarding new emerging routes of trafficking in persons, potentials of trafficking in persons during migration, innovative measures on combating trafficking in persons as well as effective responses to eradicate exploitation. The 17th SOMTC Working Group Meeting on trafficking in persons and the 35th Heads of Specialist Units on combating trafficking in persons were held virtually in July 2021 which created opportunities to share experience and good practices among ASEAN member states and to implement regional plans for combating trafficking in persons.
14. Moreover, the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (8) is to create employment opportunities and to tackle forced labour and address modern-day slavery and trafficking in persons effectively, together with sustainable economic development. It is vital to create enabling environment for the development of small and medium enterprise (SME) and decent work opportunities in addressing the issue of trafficking in persons. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a global economic downturn, and disease control restrictions have resulted in the serious problems for the most underprivileged, underdeveloped and vulnerable groups while it allows perpetrators to persuade the victims with false hope.
15. Misuse of information technologies by traffickers also poses a challenge to suppression of trafficking in persons. Since the issue of trafficking in persons links to economic development, human resource development, capacity to implement the policies strategies and technology development, the following measures will be needed to adopt immediately:-
(a) Prevention of trafficking in persons be part of the national economic development plans;
(b) Poverty reduction which is the main source of the issue of trafficking in persons and therefore, poverty alleviation plans be implemented effectively;
(c) To enhance the performance of Community Watch groups (CWG) and improve the cooperation with the local authorities;
(d) To encourage the participation of the community and private organizations in awareness-raising activities on trafficking in persons;
(e) To conduct research and studies on combating the trafficking in persons during and the post COVID-19 pandemic, and apply the findings practically;
(f) To explore the effective ways to respond based on the victims’ experiences;
(g) To enhance cooperation with trafficking in persons suppression organizations from neighbouring countries and collaborate with them in investigation on transnational trafficking in persons cases, and to improve the use of online technology for investigation.
16. In accordance with the motto of the 9th ceremony for Anti-trafficking in persons Day 2021 ‘Prevent, Rescue, Assist and Listen to the voice of the trafficked victim’, it is important that 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 combat trafficking in persons in the country and beyond.
#TheGlobalNewLightofMyanmar