PM Warns Against Trafficking
The Cambodia Daily | 14 December 2015
At an event marking National Anti-Human Trafficking Day in Phnom Penh
on Saturday, Prime Minister Hun Sen warned that officials who collude
with traffickers must be punished.
“In case officials are found to have committed or colluded with
offenders by exploiting interests by legal or illegal means, these
officials must be penalized according to the law,” Mr. Hun Sen said in a
speech to hundreds of government officials at Koh Pich Theater.
“I warn any officials who are colluding, cooperating, and benefiting
from interests of offenders of human trafficking to immediately be taken
off” the case, Mr. Hun Sen said.
The U.S.’ 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report said that government
officials in Cambodia who are complicit in trafficking are never
prosecuted.
“Endemic corruption at all levels of the Cambodian government
severely limited the ability of individual officials to make progress in
holding traffickers accountable,” the report says, also noting that the
country is putting significant effort into reducing human trafficking.
“We know that [some cases of] human trafficking, sexual exploitation
of women and children, domestic violence, rape and drug crimes were
prevented and resolved, which is a good result,” he said.
“But all these issues are still a problem for us,” he added. “The
government is committed to fighting human trafficking, especially of
women and children, and will cooperate with organizations, and other
countries and regions and the world.”
Am Sam Ath, technical supervisor for rights group Licadho, said he
welcomed the prime minister’s call for stronger legal action against
complicit officials.
“There remains a gap in law enforcement because some officials
collude with offenders,” Mr. Sam Ath said. “If there was no collusion
with officials, how can offenders bring people across borders?” he
added.
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