ISLAMABAD: The Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO), in partnership with the US Embassy in Pakistan and the Pakistan US Alumni Network (PUAN), initiated a two-day international conference aimed at addressing the challenge of combating trafficking in persons and bonded labor among women and girls in Pakistan, on Tuesday.
The conference aims to build coordination of all relevant stakeholders on combatting Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and to promote the national referral mechanism to prevent and protect women victim of trafficking, and to develop recommendations for strengthening national and international cooperation to combat smuggling and forced labor.
The conference is being attended by representatives from government, private and development sectors of Pakistan and the United States, including senior officials from federal and provincial departments, parliamentarians, senior police and FIA representatives, members of civil society, academia, and media.
Speaking at the conference, US Ambassa
dor to Pakistan Donald Blome commended SSDO’s key efforts for the prevention of human trafficking and forced labor, and said that everyone has to play their role in preventing human trafficking.
He assured his continuous support for eradicating TIP from countries including Pakistan. In this regard, there is a need to work on modern techniques.
SSDO Executive Director Syed Kausar Abbas said that SSDO is working in collaboration with FIA, provincial police, and other line departments to build collaboration and coordination among all stakeholders to combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP), Smuggling of Migrants (SOM) in Pakistan.
Despite being consistently placed on the Tier II Watch List in the US Department of State’s annual TIP reports since 2015, Pakistan’s ranking has improved significantly in the 2022 and 2023 reports.
This positive change is attributed to the concrete steps taken by the Government of Pakistan, such as curbing human trafficking and smuggling, prohibiting non-state actors from recruiting ch
ild soldiers, and implementing a legal framework to control TIP.
National and international civil society organizations, including the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO), have played a key role in building capacity, fostering coordination and raising awareness among various stakeholders, including policymakers, law enforcement agencies, government officials, victim service providers, victims and the media.
PUAN President Sahibzada Amir Khalil, while appreciating the continuous efforts for the prevention of human trafficking and forced labor, said that such conferences provide an opportunity to benefit from the presence and experience of all stakeholders.
The conference will conclude on February 28 with the issuance of a declaration.