Labuan Bajo, E Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Mahfud MD, stated that ASEAN leaders would declare a joint commitment to eradicate human trafficking in the region.
The minister made the statement while chairing the 26th Meeting of the ASEAN Political-Security Community Council (APSC) at the Ayana Komodo Waecicu Beach, Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), on Tuesday, during the series of the 42nd ASEAN Summit.
"The ASEAN leaders will adopt the Declaration on the Eradication of Human Trafficking Due to the Misuse of Technology," he noted during the 26th APSC Meeting.
The minister believes that the declaration will bring in a comprehensive approach to overcome the practice of human trafficking, starting from prevention to victim protection.
"It will also increase our collaboration together to prevent the misuse of technology," he affirmed.
According to the minister, the spirit of alleviating human trafficking should also be supported through efforts to expedite negotiations on the ASEAN Extradition Agreement. He noted that the agreement is urgently needed and has been negotiated for quite a long time.
"The agreement will prevent our region from becoming a haven for criminals as well as strengthen ASEAN's status as a law-based society," Mahfud remarked.
Earlier, he also highlighted the Indonesian government's invitation to the ASEAN community to have capabilities in tackling the challenges of various potential transnational crimes in the region.
Mahfud emphasized that the ASEAN should give special attention to transnational crimes, whether in the form of terrorism, narcotics, money laundering, or human trafficking.
"We have no choice but to ensure that ASEAN has sufficient capabilities to deal with these challenges effectively," he emphasized.
Meanwhile, on Monday (May 8), Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated that Indonesia will bring up the discussion on eradicating human trafficking at the 42nd ASEAN Summit on May 9-11 and highlighting online scams.
"This is important, and I deliberately propose this idea because the victims are the ASEAN community, and most of them are our Indonesian citizens," the president stated.
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