Mekong countries commit to fighting human trafficking

The third Inter-Ministerial Meeting (IMM-3) of the Mekong sub-regional countries on fighting human trafficking took place in Hanoi on Feb. 16.

Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said Vietnam was proud to be an active member of the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative Against Trafficking (COMMIT).

Vietnam has fully implemented international commitments and actively taken part in regional and international forums, including a commitment on fighting human trafficking crimes with Mekong sub-region countries, he said.

The deputy PM said Vietnam has issued many important legal documents relating to human trafficking prevention, such as the Law on Children Protection, Care and Education, the Labour Code, the Law on Marriage and Family, the Law on Gender Equality, the Law on Residence and the Law on Vietnamese Employees Working Abroad.

Especially, the National Assembly of Vietnam adopted the Law on Human Trafficking Prevention in 2011. The Vietnamese Government has issued many legal documents relating to the issue, including decrees and instructions against human trafficking crime, the national programme against human trafficking crime for the 2005-2010 and 2011-2015 periods.

Phuc stressed that Vietnam has joined the UN Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime and ratified the UN Convention on Children’s Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women. The country has signed a number of agreements on legal assistance and cooperation on crime and extradition.

He also spoke highly of the efforts of member countries, the positive coordination of the Secretariat and the support of international organisations against human trafficking crime in the Mekong sub-region countries.

Participants at the event approved an action plan for the 2012-2013 period.

Ministers and representatives of six member countries - Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and China - pledged to combat human trafficking with the theme “Unanimity, Coordination and Sustainability”.

COMMIT member countries signed a Joint Statement, committing to countering slavery in any form, sharing experiences, preventing human trafficking and continuing consultation and bilateral and multilateral cooperation among Mekong sub-regional countries.