Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Hadi Tjahjanto has called for cooperation among ASEAN countries to tackle human trafficking.
Speaking at the 28th ASEAN Political-Security Community Council Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, on October 8, Tjahjanto said human trafficking victims in Southeast Asia are often exploited for other crimes, such as online scams.
ASEAN needs to follow up and provide a special agreement on the ASEAN Leaders' Declaration on Combating Trafficking in Persons Caused by the Abuse of Technology, he said, expressing concern that if the issue is not addressed collaboratively, ASEAN could become a hub for criminal activities related to fraud and trafficking in the future.
He added that ASEAN has agreed to law enforcement cooperation under the Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, which could become the basis for building cooperation among regional countries to handle human trafficking cases./.
