Addressing Human Trafficking in Cambodia

Human trafficking continues to increase throughout the world, including in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS).1 In Cambodia, human trafficking emerged as a priority issue in the 1990s and has increased exponentially since then. The UN in Cambodia has identified combatting human trafficking as one of its priorities for 2006-2010, noting the particular vulnerability of women and the need to improve legal frameworks.

The UN in Cambodia is strengthening national and regional efforts to combat human trafficking in a four part response:

• prevention of human trafficking
• protection of trafficking victims, including return and reintegration support
• prosecution of traffickers through the facilitation of an appropriate criminal justice response; and
• policy on human trafficking, including support for the development of comprehensive and multisectoral policy approaches.

The approach of the UN in Cambodia to human trafficking is:

• To maintain a close partnership with the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC), particularly through supporting the development and implementation of national, bilateral and regional policy frameworks, action plans, and capacity building including training for government officials.
• To promote the involvement of appropriate non-government organisations (NGOs), and to facilitate the smooth operation of joint government-NGO activities.
• To promote a victim-centred approach to all human trafficking interventions, to ensure that the human rights of the victim are a primary concern.
• To promote and support sound research, especially to measure progress.
• To promote the use of the UN Protocol definition of human trafficking, and to encourage the recognition of all forms of human trafficking both internally and transnationally.
• To promote recognition of the special vulnerability and needs of trafficked women and children, while encouraging increased attention to the issue of trafficking in men.
• To emphasise a holistic approach to human trafficking through supporting related projects such as those addressing violence against women, irregular and unsafe migration, labour exploitation, corruption and poverty alleviation.
• Promote a coordinated approach to human trafficking including working collaboratively with government and non-government organizations.

Resources are required to continue the advancement of this important work. Details of how to contribute and where support is most needed are available from the United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking (UNIAP) Cambodia.