Maldives has stated that the best strategy to bring an end to human trafficking is cultivating a culture of respect for human dignity.
During the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on Trafficking in persons in conflict situations, Maldives highlighted the various nationwide initiatives taken by the government to combat human trafficking. Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the United Nations Dr. Ali Naseer Mohamed reiterated that the best strategy to bring an end to human trafficking is cultivating a culture of respect for human dignity; the fundamental values of human rights and the responsibility to respect and uphold those rights. On this context, Permanent Representative Ali Naseer particularly highlighted the rights of women, children, and those that are in vulnerable situations.
Maldives upheld that it is absolutely necessary for the United Nations and other actors to work to strengthen the capacities of the relevant institutions in implementing the national and international laws and norms, in bringing the perpetrators of such criminal activities to justice, adding that to cultivate a culture where no individual will tolerate the subjugation of a fellow human being.
The Maldivian Permanent Representative assured that the government of Maldives recognises the importance of protecting the rights of the expatriate community, and the potential vulnerabilities of individual members of that community to the predatory designs of transnational human trafficking syndicates.
Furthermore, Dr. Ali Naseer highlighted the efforts of the government locally and internationally to combat human trafficking. In this regard, he added that the very first legislation that President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom signed into a law was the Anti-Human Trafficking Act in December 2013 and noted to further strengthen the implementation of this Act, the Government adopted a Five-Year National Action Plan to combat human trafficking nationwide.
On conclusion, the Permanent Representative affirmed that it requires stronger global cooperation and coordination; exchanging information and best practices, assuring that Maldives will always remain an active partner in crafting shared solutions for a world free of human trafficking, a world free of every kind of slavery, and a world where every nation, every society, has a say in shaping shared destiny.
Trafficking in persons in conflict situations is one of the most dreadful crimes. Conflict situations place individuals in the most vulnerable position, and yet, the reality is that conflict zones have become breeding grounds for criminal activities; with millions of people falling prey to human traffickers as they desperately try to escape the violence. Trafficking in persons is the modern form of slavery that should be outlawed everywhere in the world.