Nepal has taken human trafficking as serious issue: Home Minister

Kathmandu, Aug 7: Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa has said Nepal has taken the problems of human trafficking and trans-national crime related to this very seriously.  Delivering a statement at the international conference on Seventh Regional Ministerial International Conference on ‘People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime’ to be held in Bali of Indonesia today, he said the government has taken this problem seriously as a large number of people go on foreign employment.

He said human smuggling and trafficking has emerged as a big impediment for sustainable human development, rule of law and citizen’s security. The Home Minister expressed the belief that the conference would facilitate the information exchange and collaboration among the law enforcement bodies to curb trans-national crimes related to human smuggling and trafficking.

He also expressed hope that the conference would be the guideline for the welfare of migrant workers at different countries.  Home Ministers and high government officers of different countries have been participating in the seventh ministerial conference to be concluded today. Since 2002, the conference is being organised in the name of Bali Process.

Forty-five member countries including Nepal, China, India and Australia as well as UN agencies including IOM, UNHCR and UNODC are the members of the conference. Home Minister Thapa had left on Sunday leading four-member team. He is scheduled to return home tomorrow.