Cambodia on Monday hosted two- day regional forum of combating human trafficking to share good practices and defining the regional strategies to prevent and fight against the complex and international matters and crimes.
The forum will focus on the legal mechanisms for fighting trafficking and ensuring punishment of offenders, the care and support for victims of human trafficking and strengthening regional or inter-country collaborations, according to Ith Sam Heng, minister of social affairs, veterans and youth rehabilitation.
"We are here to share our national best practices and to discuss how we can work together in the region on the legal mechanisms and victim prevention," he said, "while labor trafficking is increasing in our region, trafficking for sexual exploitation still comprises the majority of trafficking cases."
"Human trafficking is an international problem with many victims trafficked over international borders, so we need the solution of international and cooperation between the countries," he said.
Out of a global figure of more than 800,00 persons trafficked annually across national borders, 80 percent are estimated to be women and 50 percent are children, said Cambodia's Minister of Women's Affairs Ing Kanthan Phavy.
"There is truth to the assumption that poverty, a lack of education or lack of understanding about trafficking and unsafe migration are primary factors," she said, adding that according to a recent report from UNODC, sexual exploitation is the most common form of human trafficking, amounting to 79 percent of all cases.
Citing that the ongoing economic crisis has severely affected countries in the region, she said lack of regular income is increasing the risk of exploitation among young women.