New approaches required to tackle human trafficking: US envoy – Newspaper – DAWN.COM
ISLAMABAD: US Ambassador Donald Blome on Monday said there was a need to come up with innovative approaches to combat human traffickers who remained a threat due to continuous development of new trafficking techniques.
He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of a two-day conference on ‘Combating trafficking in persons in Pakistan'.
The conference was organised by Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO) in collaboration with the US embassy and the Pakistan US Alumni Network (PUAN), with an aim to strengthen institutional capacity and collaboration of various stakeholders primarily for the implementation of legal frameworks.
The participants included diplomats, senior officials from federal and provincial government departments, parliamentarians, police and FIA representatives.
US Blome said trafficking in persons was a centuries-old problem that required everyone to play a role.
Sindh Assembly Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza said human trafficking was a disaster of its own kind which severely impacted women and children in particular.
“There is a law and order imbalance, alongside poverty and illiteracy, which makes trafficking in persons easier to execute,” she said.
Ms Raza stated that her government was working on legal aid and provision of rehabilitation for victims.
SSDO Executive Director Syed Kausar Abbas emphasised the necessity of judiciary training to sensitise towards and mainstream the issue.
“Pakistan's geographic location makes it as a destination, transit and source country for trafficking in persons, Mr Abbas said.
“Since 2015, Pakistan has appeared five times in the Tier II Watchlist countries in the US Department of State's annual report. The reason for Pakistan getting moved up to Tier II in the 2022 US report was attributed to the development of trafficking prevention legislation, particularly the ‘Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act 2018' and the increased efforts of the government and coordination between stakeholders,” he added.
PUAN President Sahibzada Aamir Khalil suggested that a victim-centric legislation will achieve the welfare and support needed by survivors of trafficking of persons.
Later, panel discussions were held where experts from Pakistan and USA highlighted the issues of trafficking, its relevancy to Pakistan, deliberated the existing legal framework, implementation status and policy gaps to combat human trafficking and stressed the international best practices to combat trafficking in persons.
Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2023
This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original online location.
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EYES ON TRAFFICKING
This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original online location.
ABOUT PBJ LEARNING
PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on awareness and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials online course is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.
More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.