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Sri Lankan government pledges to combat human trafficking

The ILO project “Equipping Sri Lanka to Counter Trafficking in Persons (EQUIP) funded by the US Department of States, Bureau for South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) organised an awareness raising march to mark the “World day against Trafficking in Persons”, 30 July 2018.

News | 02 August 2018
People let by the Deputy Minister Manusha Nanayakkara and ILO Country Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Ms Simrin Singh marched on the streets of Colombo in an act of solidarity and to raise awareness on human trafficking.
Millions of men, women and children around the world are the unfortunate victims of human trafficking - bought and sold as commodities and in forced labour. The latest global data on the prevalence of human trafficking confirms that the number or severity of abuses are far too many.

Data from the Sri Lankan Bureau of Foreign Employment indicates that Colombo is a hotspot for outbound migration, with the highest rates of migration witnessed amongst low-skilled and domestic workers. The socioeconomic disadvantage, lack of access to clear information, employment alternatives and low awareness levels makes these prospective migrant workers particularly vulnerable and at risk of becoming victims of trafficking.

In the past there was a lot of human trafficking involving Sri Lanka. But recent reports show that things have improved greatly. Today, we are attempting to tell the world about the activities that we have carried out to combat human trafficking. "

Manusha Nanayakkara , Deputy Minister of Telecommunication, Digital Infrastructure and Foreign Employment
The ILO project “Equipping Sri Lanka to Counter Trafficking in Persons (EQUIP) funded by the US Department of States, Bureau for South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA) organised an awareness raising march to mark the “World day against Trafficking in Persons”, 30th July 2018 On the day, over 300 people including ILO staff, SLBFE officers, prospective migrant workers, the Deputy Minister of Telecommunication, Digital Infrastructure and Foreign Employment, and many other valued partners marched on the streets of Colombo in an act of solidarity and to raise awareness on human trafficking.

Addressing the gathering, Deputy Minister Manusha Nanayakkara indicated that the Sri Lankan government would not permit human trafficking operations to take place.

"In the past there was a lot of human trafficking involving Sri Lanka. But recent reports show that things have improved greatly. Today, we are attempting to tell the world about the activities that we have carried out to combat human trafficking," he said.

ILO Country Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Ms Simrin Singh said that trafficking in persons is a big illegal business which generates about US$ 150 billion in profit annually. “We want to make sure those who are going out as migrant workers are not exploited. They must not become victims in this vast illegal business,” she said.