FAZAL AMIN SHINWARI
ISLAMABAD: A two-day seminar on “Countering Trafficking in People (TIP) in Pakistan” was held by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad to build institutional capacity to lessen trafficking in persons and also assist victims in receiving the support they need.
“Human trafficking erodes the rule of law, the safety of our communities, the security of our borders, and the strength of our economy,” U.S. Ambassador Donald Blome said in his opening remarks at the event. “We build a fairer and more equitable world when we work together—across government, industry, and civil society—to achieve the aims of eliminating human trafficking.” Shehla Raza, the deputy speaker of the Sindh Assembly, joined him and thanked the United States government for supporting anti-trafficking initiatives in Pakistan.
Thanking the organizers, Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) and the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN), for their work in coordinating the two-conference, Deputy Chief of the U.S. Mission to Pakistan Andrew Schofer added, “The exchange of ideas and coordination amongst all players is a critical part of addressing the issue of trafficking in persons.”
Scholars and anti-human trafficking experts from both the U.S. and Pakistan attended the conference, which included plenary sessions special sessions, and five working groups to discuss the expected roles of a broad range of stakeholders to counter TIP – including parliamentarians, law enforcement, judiciary, and prosecution, civil society, academia, and media.
