PRESS RELEASE
CAMBODIANS STEP UP THE FIGHT AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING
4th May 2010, Phnom Penh - Guidelines on safe migration are a basic requirement to prevent vulnerable people from falling victim to human trafficking. This is the topic of a major event this week in Phnom Penh, where more than 100 Cambodian safe migration and counter-trafficking practitioners are coming together to step up the fight against human trafficking and unsafe migration in the Greater Mekong Sub-region countries.
The three-day international conference entitled Mobility Patterns of Cambodian and other Nationals in the South-east Asian Region opens tomorrow at the Sunway Hotel. Conference participants include government representatives, international organisations, non-government organisations, community groups, and former migrants themselves.
The theme of the conference is Movement of Cambodian people and its negative consequences within South-east Asia, with daily topics on: identities of migrants, facing challenges, and opportunities and solutions. The conference aims to share knowledge and practices on safe migration and anti-trafficking measures and interventions for migrant populations from Cambodia and neighbouring countries in order to produce applicable recommendations to government’s representatives and civil society organizations.
Keynote speakers from Australia, Cambodia, India, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, are presenting at the conference on the themes of migration flows, human trafficking practices, law enforcement policies, prosecution of traffickers and protection of victims of trafficking. These presentations will provide participants with an opportunity to consider different migration scenarios and think about better strategies to address migration challenges within the South-east Asian region.
“Motivating government officials, counter-trafficking practitioners and concerned people to address migration challenges in and outside the country and to find together ways to address the negative consequences of migration including fighting human trafficking and exploitation is needed to end the suffering of many people and especially children in this region,” said Mr. John Vijghen, the conference chairman.
Human trafficking is a serious crime involving the cheating or deceiving of people into sexual servitude or labour for the purpose of exploitation. It is unclear exactly how many Cambodians are victims of this crime, but experts agree that the numbers are high.
“The safe migration recommendations we will make at this conference will help reduce the incidence of human trafficking and other forms of migration-related exploitation that occurs in our country and beyond,” said Mr. Lim Tith of UNIAP Cambodia.
The conference has been organised by the North East Research Group (NERG), which is made up of the Chab Dai Coalition, the NGO Coalition to Address (Sexual) Exploitation of Children in Cambodia (COSECAM), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Oxfam Quebec, the Asia Foundation and UNIAP, with support from the European Commission.
For more information, please contact:
Francis Mayrand, Oxfam Quebec, Conference coordinator, tel: 012 174 9773, email: npma.oq@gmail.com
Chum Phally, COSECAM, Conference logistics, tel: 012 864 402, email: tcu@cosecam.org
______________________________
HUOT Vichheka
United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking (UNIAP)
Information Analyst
UNDP Building No 164, Street Pasture
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
P.O.Box 877
Tel: 023 216 217 (334)
012 868 935
E-mail: vichheka.huot@undp.org
Website: www.no-trafficking.org
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_______________________
Francis Mayrand
Programme Associate
Oxfam Anti-Human Trafficking Programme
in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region
Oxfam-Québec
#26, Street 334
Boeung Keng Kang I
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Tel.: (855) 12 174 9773
Fax: (855) 23 726 836 ext. 102
E-mail: npma.oq@gmail.com
Website: www.oxfam.qc.ca
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