Anti-Human Trafficking: Awareness Campaign in Myanmar

Aiming to raise awareness on human trafficking and sharing information about human traffickers, Anti-Human trafficking day 2015 was held in Yangon, Sunday. 

Myanmar has laid down a national Plan of action to combat human trafficking. One of the point in it is prevention and it is being carried out by raising awareness. 

Police Major, No. 6 Anti-Human Trafficking corps, Ye Win Aung: We raise Human trafficking awareness in cooperation with department concerned, NGOs, INGOs and CSO,  by distributing pamphlet and erecting billboards in crowded areas. Currently, we are conducting training for human trafficking awareness with the support of UN. 

In addition to prevention, all stakeholders are cooperating to bring back the victims home and bring legal justice to them.    

Director, Program Quality & Dev't (Word Vision -Myanmar), Jared Berends: " So, we are working with the government of Myanmar to identify those who have been trafficked and to help bring them back to Myanmar if they are across boarder or just basically protect them in the current situation. And also we are working on to reintegrate those victims when come back. So, when people are trafficked they have some trauma and we need to help and assist them when come back to Myanmar to reintegrate back to their community" 

Advocates said having many border with China, Laos and Thailand make it difficult to control the cross-border cases and that human trafficking problem is still thriving and growing and all need to do more. 

Chairman, Hlaingthayar Youth Network, Ye Aung: Human Trafficking awareness needs to do more nationwide. Most of the people did not know well about that. We also persuade the victims to seek legal justice. Besides our network can do only awareness and cannot effort for providing assistance and rehabilitation for them. 

According to Myanmar Police Force the number of complaint cases has increased due to the increasing awareness among the public.