by Judith Kasek – EM TV, Port Moresby
An officer of the Legislative Council says there is a need for more education and awareness on human trafficking in the country.
Alice Hwana, a participant in the International Voluntary Leadership Program said this after attending a two-week program on examining global human trafficking. Along with the passing of legislation on human trafficking in parliament in 2013 to help fight the issue, more venues can be taken to prevent the issue.
Under the United States International Voluntary Leadership Program, Alice participated in a two-week multi-regional project examining the global problem of human trafficking and how it can be addressed in PNG.
She says the main issue now is to educate people, especially those in the remote parts of the country and those in the legal and justice sectors, so that offenders can be prosecuted.
According to statistics from a report conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) this year, one in three victims of human trafficking are children and are most often girls.
The report also acknowledged that while most countries have adapted national legislation to contemplate the crime, the number of convictions is still very low.
The aim now is to educate the country on human trafficking and to establish effective systems to fight the crime. Although the government passed legislation in 2013 to combat human trafficking, there is still a lot more needed to be done.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=N-5-qFvAvyA%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
