Island-wide raids to nab human traffickers to be accelerated

Authorities have decided to carry out island-wide raids in search of individuals involved in human trafficking operations in the country and to punish them regardless of their status.

The decision has been taken during a meeting held between the Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment, Manusha Nanayakkara and the Minister of Public Security, Tiran Alles along with the high-ranking officers of the Police Department including IGP C.D. Wickramaratne, officials of Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), and the Department of Immigration and Emigration today (Nov 16).

Accordingly, the raids which are being continuously carried out, based on the information received by the SLBFE in relation to the Sri Lankans involved in human trafficking both domestically and abroad, will be further accelerated, the ministry said in a statement.

Moreover, it has been decided to hold an officer-level progress review every two weeks regarding the progress of measures taken against people involved in human trafficking.

Meanwhile, public awareness programmes will also be implemented regarding human trafficking, it said.