Pakistan needs to do more against human trafficking, says US diplomat

Andrew Schofer reiterates US mission’s commitment to supporting efforts against this ‘critical human rights issue’

KARACHI:

 

Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Islamabad has said that Pakistan needs to do more in the fight against human trafficking.

Speaking at the “International Conference on Combating Trafficking and Bonded Labor of Women and Girls in Pakistan”, Andrew Schofer, however, did acknowledge that Islamabad has made progress against human trafficking.

“The challenging reality of human trafficking is that criminals exploit many systems of communication, finance, transportation, and commerce – all of which were originally designed for the collective public good,” he was quoted as saying in a press statement issued by the US Embassy in Islamabad.

“Traffickers, however, constantly evolve their networks to take advantage of emerging technologies and migratory trends. They use the same tools that are essential to connecting and enriching our global community for their transnational criminal activities,” said Schofer.

He emphasised leveraging technology to better address the nexus between finance and human trafficking and better detect online exploitation.

“By sharing information and resources, we can better equip front-line stakeholders to track and respond to evolving trafficking trends. By improving investigations and prosecutions of trafficking cases, we can bring more perpetrators of these crimes to justice. And by partnering with survivors, we can better establish trauma-informed anti-trafficking policies and strategies,” said the US diplomat.

Schofer maintained that the US mission in Pakistan is "committed to supporting" the country's efforts in addressing this critical human rights issue. “While we welcome the progress made in the fight against human trafficking, there is more work to be done.”