United States Ambassador to PNG Walter North says people have the power to be the change and eliminate the evil that is human trafficking.
Speaking today at the National Library to mark World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, North said PNG just like any other country was a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labour.
But he said that PNG had made significant progress in the fight against human trafficking, moving from being ranked Tier 3 in 2008 to now Tier 2-Watchlist based on the 2015 US Trafficking in Persons Report.
The report stated that in PNG, foreign and local women and children are subjected to sex trafficking, domestic servitude, forced begging, and street vending, and foreign and local men are subjected to forced labour in logging and mining camps.
The report added that 19% of the country’s labour market is comprised of child workers.
“PNG recently passed a law [Criminal Code (Amended) Act 2013 “Trafficking in Persons”] which has helped create more awareness and bring perpetrators to justice.
“The US Embassy encourages the PNG government to implement a formal victim identification procedure or an appropriate referral mechanism.
“Together with PNG’s law enforcement agencies, we can tackle this modern day slavery. We can work together and be able to recognize it, address it and stop human trafficking,” said North.
Reports show that 20 million people are trapped in human trafficking.