Palace seeks comprehensive regional approach vs human trafficking

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should come up with a comprehensive regional approach to counter and combat all forms of human trafficking, a top Malacañang official proposed yesterday.

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. said the regional bloc - composed of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam - should adopt an “action plan” to address the problem.

“While there are universal mechanisms that address human trafficking or trafficking in persons, there is no regional mechanism that particularly and especially deals with such issues in Southeast Asia,” he said.

The Philippines is hosting the third ASEAN Experts Working Group against human trafficking from April 25 to 26, and Ochoa hopes this will strengthen the commitment of membercountries to fight this regional problem.

Experts from the ASEAN are trying to work out either a binding convention on human trafficking or a less stringent “regional plan of action” to enable ASEAN to act in unison.

“There must be a regional action plan within the scope of each ASEAN members’ domestic laws and policies to effectively address regional challenges common to all ASEAN members in the fight against human trafficking,” Ochoa added.

He said the action plan should include an integrated, cohesive and a more structured monitoring and reporting mechanism on human trafficking in order to prevent and suppress trafficking in persons in the region.

The fight against human trafficking is in line with efforts by the ASEAN to protect and promote human rights, and its commitment to other regional and international declarations against all forms of trafficking in persons, particularly women and children.

“Human trafficking is one of the most contemptible violations of human rights, as those involved in this loathsome crime deprive their victims of their right to life, liberty, and security,” Ochoa said.

At the same time, Ochoa pushed for stronger international cooperation to ensure the successful investigation, prosecution and elimination of safe havens of perpetrators and accomplices of trafficking in persons.

The ASEAN Experts Working Group hopes to come up with a regional instrument to educate people on human trafficking, promote and protect the rights of victims, strengthen rule of law and border control in the region.

It also aims to establish a synchronized regional approach in the investigation of human traffickers involving foreign nationals, and increase prosecution and conviction of human traffickers to weaken their organized criminal networks.