The Association of Southeast Asian Nations on July 25 called on its member countries to put more effort into fighting human trafficking.

Speaking at a meeting held in the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta after the 44 th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (the 44 th AMM), ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan said that trafficking in people was an alarming issue in the region.

He said the Association was making an effort to deal with the issue through a variety of policies, including the Bali Process, which was co-chaired by Indonesia and Australia .

According to Pitsuwan, about 2.5 million people worldwide were victims of trafficking, with 1 million of them living in the Southeast Asian region./.