Sri Lanka’s foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera today said that the government is determined to reinforce stringent domestic measures in order to curb the considerable number citizens falling prey to human trafficking or human smuggling.
“As we emphasize on safe and orderly migration, there is a considerable number of our citizens falling prey to human trafficking or human smuggling.”
“These illegal and irregular means of migration puts valuable lives at risk,” he said, delivering a speech during the inaugural ceremony of the 5th Ministerial Consolation of the Colombo Process.
Hence we are determined to reinforce stringent domestic measures, which in mind Sri Lanka ratified a trafficking protocol of the Palermo protocols in June last year, the minister said.
Samaraweera emphasized that it is important to build our capacities to prevent trafficking and smuggling in persons by introducing coherent policies, regulations and legislations.
We have taken note of the useful recommendations provided to us by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants following his visit to Sri Lanka in May 2014, he said.
The new government that came to power in January 2015 under the leadership of President Sirisena adopted a new policy on Sri Lanka’s interaction with the international community, he added.
“We abandoned the policy of self-imposed isolation which was carried out by the previous administration and instead we have embraced a policy of engagement with the world,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs said.
We’re currently having a very constructive dialogue with the United Nations and the wider international community and of course the advancement of migration issues will be an integral part of our threefold effort to achieve vibrant democracy, reconciliation and development, he said.
Samaraweera also said that Sri Lanka will also be participating in the second review of the international convention on rights of the migrant workers and the welfare of their families, being held next week in Geneva.
