Cambodia, Thailand to launch joint system to identify victims of human trafficking

Cambodia and Thailand are working together to identify victims of human trafficking in order to rescue, prevent and combat human trafficking as authorities continue to search for victims in both countries.

These developments came after a delegation from the Ministry of Interior attended a Cambodia-Thailand bilateral meeting that concluded the 2024-2026 action plan for the implementation of the “Standards of Operational Procedures for Cooperation law enforcement” to assist victims of criminal human trafficking. justice system in Thailand on May 31.

Chou Bun Eng, permanent vice-president of the National Anti-Trafficking Committee (NCCT), said yesterday that discussions with Thailand aimed to bring the two countries closer to mutual agreement on the use of a common list for identify the victims.

“Previously, Cambodia and Thailand identified human trafficking victims separately, but now the identification will use a common platform for both countries,” Bun Eng said. “It is expected to officially start in 2025, and evaluations of the system will be used to find out if anything needs to be changed.”

Bun Eng, who is also state secretary at the Ministry of the Interior, described the outcome of the meeting as successful as both sides are willing to move forward without further delay in order to resolve the issue more quickly.

“There will be another meeting to discuss the development and guidelines to unify the shared identification process; we will also try to meet at least once a year to create a forum for both countries to raise their challenges and seek mutual solutions,” she added. “I think it’s a big step forward because we’ve really made progress without any delays.”

Bun Eng noted that the flow of human trafficking between the two countries has become a challenge for authorities to control. She also said that cooperation between Cambodia and Thailand is essential as the two countries are neighbors.

“Cambodia and Thailand are close to each other, which makes it easier for traffickers to send people across the border,” she said. “Authorities in both countries are having difficulty tracking their movements. »

“Many people cross the border without authorization and many are sent to work illegally in Cambodia or Thailand,” she added.

Cambodia and Thailand signed an agreement on standard operating procedures (SOPs) for law enforcement cooperation against human trafficking in August 2022.

The agreement was signed between Bun Eng and Ramrung Worawat, deputy permanent secretary of Thailand's Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, following a meeting in Bangkok.