PHNOM PENH: The Secretary of State of the Ministry of Interior, and Permanent Vice-Chair of the National Committee for Counter Trafficking of Cambodia, Chou Bun Eng, has said that in 2021, during the closure of the border with neighboring countries, 140,664 migrant workers, including 62,184 women, returned to Cambodia over the border.

Speaking at the launch of the National Report on Combating Human Trafficking in 2021 and the NCCT’s Work Plan for 2022, Secretary of State Chou Bun Eng added that because of the closure of borders and the lockdown of high-risk areas in neighboring countries during the height of the pandemic in 2020, a high number of migrant workers returned to Cambodia, with more than 130,000 people crossing the border.

The Minister of Interior, Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng also spoke at the launch ceremony and called on all stakeholders to continue working together to form key measures, prevent and crack down on human trafficking, to solve this ongoing problem in the Kingdom of Cambodia.

It should also be noted that according to the Secretary of State Chou Bun Eng, human trafficking in Cambodia has increased significantly, with 359 recorded cases in 2021, a more than double increase from the 155 cases recorded in 2020.