An international conference on human trafficking was kicked off in Cambodia on Jul. 6 in expectation of strengthening cooperation among Asian countries.

The two-day conference, the first forum being held in Phnom Penh, was attended by ranking officers from the government and social organisations of the host country and representatives from three ASEAN countries of Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and counterparts from the Republic of Korea (RoK) and China.

The centrepiece of the forum is a legal mechanism to deal with human trafficking, espcially the issue of commercial sexual exploitation.

“Human trafficking has become an international concern with thousands of people being trafficked across border in the region,” said Ith Sam Heng, Cambodian Minister of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Habilitation at the opening ceremony.

There must be a closer cooperation among countries and within the international community should the issue be addressed effectively, he added.

US Ambassador to Cambodia Carol Rodley meanwhile called on governments in the region to take tougher sanctions against human traffickers.

A cooperative mechanism between regional countries and the RoK and China will also figure prominently on the second day of the conference. The participants will also take stock of the effectiveness of the existing cooperative system created by the ASEAN and the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative Against Trafficking (COMMIT)./.