PHNOM PENH: The Prime Minister of Cambodia has declared 20 August as the National Interfaith Day Against Human Trafficking, a day for people of all faiths in Cambodia to evaluate the results of the fight against human trafficking in the year.

Speaking at the 6th National Interfaith Anti-Human Trafficking Forum on Thursday morning, 29 September, Prime Minister Hun Sen said that from 20 August 2023 onwards, there will be organized gatherings of people from all religions in provinces, districts, and at the local level to present a yearly report on human trafficking and identify weaknesses in the implementation of safe villages and communes and evaluate the overall work against human trafficking in the country.

"But please be clear! It is not only 20 August that we will take action against human trafficking, but [rather we will be doing this work] for all 365 days a year," he said.

The Prime Minister added that he believes good interfaith cooperation in Cambodia will allow the government's efforts to combat human trafficking to be successful.

According to a report from the Chairman of the National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking, while the Royal Government has succeeded in preventing the trafficking of Cambodians abroad, a new phenomenon has emerged of criminals using Cambodian territory for fraudulent activities, such as human trafficking, and forcibly detaining and using people as tools to deceive and scam others. In response to this growing issue, the Royal Government of Cambodia has issued a series of response measures.

From 18 August until now, the Royal Government has received 368 victim complaints related to human trafficking activity and the illegal use of weapons, responding to 361 complaints that have led to the arrest of 41 suspects holding three different nationalities. 

^{PHOTO: EAC NEWS}