Kingdom vows to protect victims of human trafficking

A SENIOR Ministry of Interior official reiterated that Cambodia is committed to protecting victims of human trafficking. Whether the victims are Cambodians or foreigners, Cambodian law is still responsible for those within the country.

Chou Bun Eng, permanent vice-chair of the National Committee for Counter Trafficking (NCCT), made the remarks at a press conference the on situation of human trafficking in Cambodia, held on August 12 by the Government Spokesperson Unit at the Council of Ministers.

“We are dedicated to combating human trafficking and are employing every means possible to tackle human trafficking in Cambodia and any other activities related to the practice,” she said.

She added that the Kingdom is preparing to develop a special operational plan to uncover hidden human trafficking cases throughout the country, which will begin soon. Despite fighting Covid19, more cases were prosecuted than in any other year.

She said 2021 saw 359 cases of human trafficking, more than double the 155 cases from the previous year. Cambodia rescued 1,577 victims, and took 538 cases to court.

The US Department of State downgraded Cambodia’s human trafficking ranking from its position on the Tier 2 Watch List (2WL) to Tier 3 in their “Trafficking in Persons [TIP] Report for July 2022.

Bun Eng said the downgrade was unjust.

“We are not silent in our work of tackling human trafficking. We suffer when perpetrators conduct these activities on Cambodian soil, and do our best to protect people from falling victim to these crimes,” she said.

“We do not deny the assessment downgrade, but we do not accept it. It cannot be denied, as it has been spread all over the world. We must also come up with every means to respond to it. Although we accept that we do not have the resources to combat all kinds of crimes, we must make it a priority. We want Cambodia to be safe and peaceful for everyone,” she added.

Bun Eng said Cambodia has never refused to prosecute anyone guilty of human trafficking and worked closely with other countries. The authorities of foreign nations were elated to have the support of the Cambodian police forces, and had cooperated with them to rescue many of their citizens, she added.