Forum to fight human trafficking

CAIRO: Egypt on Tuesday hosted the first regional forum of national co-ordinating bodies on fighting human trafficking and migrant smuggling in Africa.

Supported by the UK, the forum is organised by the National Co-ordinating Committee for Preventing and Combating Illegal Migration and Trafficking in Persons (NCCPIM-TIP) in co-operation with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) regional office for the Middle East and North Africa, Egypt’s state-run MENA news agency reported.

The three-day event aims to provide a platform for national co-ordinating bodies from 18 African countries along the central and western Mediterranean migration routes, to exchange experiences on good practices in combating human trafficking.

The forum will support the establishment of co-ordination mechanisms and institutional frameworks for the fight against human trafficking and migrant smuggling.

“Regional co-operation is a key pillar to enable our countries to shift the course towards greater progress and development,” NCCPIM-TIP chairperson Naela Gabr said.

She underlined the importance of the forum for exchanging information, best practices and insights among national co-ordinating mechanisms for combating human trafficking and migrant smuggling in African countries.

“I’m sure that soon the day will come to transform from countries that export illegal migration and whose citizens are at risk of human trafficking, to countries that export high-quality production with the hands of their citizens,” Gabr said.

The forum is expected to identify common challenges in addressing human trafficking and migrant smuggling, and will also discuss ways forward in improving regional co-ordination and co-operation. |