Human Trafficking is a Priority for ASEAN, Says Envoy

Jakarta (Antara) - It has become a priority among ASEAN member countries to seek a solution to the issue of human trafficking, Deputy Secretary General of ASEAN Alicia Bala said here on Tuesday. "ASEAN member countries acknowledge that human trafficking is an immoral and inhumane crime. The key factor to tackling such global crime is maintaining continuous dialogue between nations, which is something that ASEAN member countries must do," she said. According to Bala, dialogue enables officials from each country to gain useful information about human trafficking as they seek to stop it. Earlier, Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said the most important measure in preventing human smuggling and trafficking is addressing the root causes of the problems. Minister Marty said human smuggling and trafficking were multidimensional problems caused by many factors, both in countries of origin and their destinations. The problems that triggered human smuggling and trafficking include poverty and unemployment, he added. "Also, conflicts and insecurity are main factors causing human trafficking and smuggling," the minister stated. The participation of civil society and other stakeholders is very important to increase public awareness that human smuggling does not always promise success for the victims, he added. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), more than 20 million people become victims of human trafficking in Asia every year. In order to tackle this issue, Indonesia and Australia have co-chaired an annual meeting since 2002, called the Bali Process, where all countries related to human trafficking issues (origin country, transit country and destination country) meet and discuss steps to fight human trafficking. (*)