Ifølge FN er den indenlandske menneskehandel i Laos underrapporteret. Dette skyldes en slap retshåndhævelse, stilstand i lovgivningsprocessen og manglende viden om, hvordan man definerer menneskehandel.
Ministeriet for Arbejde og Social Velfærd rapporterede i juli 2010 at 1634 personer, som har været ofre for menneskehandel, er vendt tilbage primært fra Thailand, og er blevet genintegreret i det laotiske samfund igennem det seneste årti. Men på grund af den manglende lovgivning og definitionsklarhed på området, er mange ofte slet ikke klar over, at de har været ofre for menneskehandel skriver irinnews.org.
Størstedelen af ofrene er yngre end 18, migrantarbejdere, og otte ud af 10 er kvinder. (Resten af artiklen er på engelsk.)
Menneskehandel versus migration
The 2000 UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children defines trafficking as: “…recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion… to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation”.
But even with an internationally adopted definition, the line between economic migration and trafficking is blurred. The moment voluntary movement turns exploitative often goes unreported, making domestic trafficking tricky to measure, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
There is an “uneven recognition of all forms of trafficking” in East and Southeast Asia, including forced factory labour and other seasonal domestic employment, stated a UNICEF 2009 report.
With more workers on the move in Laos, the situation has deteriorated. “As infrastructure and communication develops in rural areas, domestic trafficking becomes more prevalent. We need to make the process of domestic migration safer,” said UNICEF’s chief of child protection in Laos, Victoria Juat.
Læs videre på http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=90684
