Source: The Sun Daily
15 May 2013
KUALA LUMPUR (May 15, 2013): Malaysia believes that cooperation and coordination with neighbouring countries is essential to combat human trafficking and smuggling.
Malaysia's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) in New York, Datuk Hussein Haniff said this was learned after facing a multitude of challenges, from becoming a destination, transit and even a country of origin.
"We have been put in an unenviable position of having to view the problem from a bird's-eye view. Unenviable though it may be, it has its advantages in terms of allowing us to appreciate the enormity of the challenge that lies before us," he said at the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the appraisal of the global plan of action to combat trafficking in persons on Tuesday.
His speech text was made available to Bernama. Hussein said Malaysia welcomed the launching of the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2012 which prepared comprehensive and reliable data on the offenders, victims and trafficking flows throughout the regions.
"My delegation remains seriously concerned that women account for almost 60 per cent of all trafficked victims detected globally, followed by children at 27 per cent," he said.
He added that Malaysia was working closely with other Asean member states in addressing the issue, particularly with trafficking originating from East Asia remaining the most conspicuous globally, as revealed in the Report.
On efforts to address the problem, Hussein explained that Malaysia had enacted the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act in 2007, which was amended in 2010 to become the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.
Under the Act, the Council of Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants was established and is responsible for the formulation of policies and the implementation of the 2010 National Action Plan to combat human trafficking and people smuggling.
"As with the rest of the international community, Malaysia condemns in the strongest possible terms the heinous crime of trafficking in persons. We are seriously committed and taking every effort within our means to address and eventually eradicate the problem," Hussein said.
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