Delhi meet confers on safe migration, human trafficking
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, February 19 2025:
Representatives from nine South Asian countries, including government officials, policymakers, law enforcement agencies, the United Nations, and civil society organisations, congregated in New Delhi for the 'South Asia Consultation on Promoting Safe Migration to Combat Trafficking' recently.
The consultation was organised by the Association for Voluntary Action, With Just Rights for Children as the technical partner.
According to a press statement issued by New Life Foundation, Manipur the event focused on the urgent need for a comprehensive, rights-based strategy to combat human trafficking and emphasised the necessity of harmonised migration policies across the region.
Participants called for bilateral and multilateral agreements to ensure safe migration and enhance joint investigations into organised crime networks and illegal recruitment agencies during the event which provided a platform for migrants and trafficking victims to share their experiences and suggestions.
The meeting recognised that human trafficking remains the third-largest illegal industry, after drug and arms smuggling, with an estimated value of 32 billion USD.
Bhuwan Ribhu, founder of Just Rights for Children - a network of civil society organisations working for child protection across 39 countries- stressed the need for a multi-pronged approach to tackle trafficking, stating that trafficking is an organised and economic crime that thrives on the exploitation of children and vulnerable youth.
Advocating strategies to disrupt the financial mechanisms of trafficking, prosecute criminal syndicates, and enhance intelligence-sharing through a global traffickers' registry, he further underlined the need for a nationwide crackdown in India and the US to dismantle trafficking networks by tracing financial transactions and analysing victim testimonies.
Speaking on the importance of victim awareness, Member of the National Human Rights Commission and former Chairman of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), Pri-yank Kanoongo noted that victims often do not recognise their own exploitation and remain unaware of their rights and called for increasing awareness among the most vulnerable sections of society to ensure their protection and empowerment.
Addressing the consultation on migration policies, executive committee member of Migrant Forum in Asia (South Asia), AMKAS, Bijaya Kumari Shreshtha urged the Nepalese government to expand labour destinations from 110 to 160 countries, citing the identification of 50 additional nations where Nepali migrants may be at risk of exploitation.
Insaf Nizam, specialist in Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, International Labour Organisation DWT for South Asia, highlighted the need to ensure decent working conditions and human rights protections to prevent forced migration while Deepika Naruka from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, pointed out that trafficking for forced labour is increasing, yet convictions remain limited, as per the Trafficking in Persons 2024 report, while former chief minister of Lumbini, Nepal, Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary emphasised that civil society, governments, and private institutions must collaborate to promote safe migration.
Director of Our Journey, Malaysia, Sumitha Shaanthinni Kishna stressed the importance of child-centric policies to combat trafficking as Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, additional secretary Dr MMSSB Yalegama, and Nepal's Human Rights and International Treaty Agreements Division and joint secretary Rajendra Thapa underscored the need for strong regional cooperation in addressing trafficking.
Association for Voluntary Action, executive director Dhananjay Tingal highlighted the devastating impact of unsafe migration on children, while observing that children bear the greatest burden of migration, whether they are left behind as their parents move to new destinations or taken along to unfamiliar environments where they face extreme hardships and an uncertain future.
He emphasised that trafficking networks operate at all levels, from source to transit to destination, and only coordinated efforts between law enforcement agencies, communities, and civil society can make migration safe and voluntary.
The consultation concluded with discussions on key objectives of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM), including vulnerabilities in migration, combating and preventing trafficking in the international context, provision of basic services for migrants, and empowering migrants for inclusion and social cohesion.
The event also addressed the importance of strong convergence between governments, civil society organisations, and international migration-related bodies.
Experts emphasised the need for education and awareness tools such as community-based surveillance systems, integration of migration and trafficking issues into school curricula, and capacity-building for at-risk migrants.
They also stressed the importance of employing technology, including digital tools, artificial intelligence, and digital identity systems, to tackle trafficking.
Among the notable panellists present were Indian Police Foundation president OP Singh, head of Migration and Urbanisation Policy Research, Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, Dr Bilesha Weeraratne, advisor to the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, Onkar Sharma, and Special Inspector General of Maharashtra Police Ashwati Dorje, the statement added.
Comment
