Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-01-13-Speech-4-155"
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"en.20050113.11.4-155"2
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".
Mr President, the Commission resolutely condemns all forms of trafficking in human beings and sexual exploitation, especially of children. The Commission fully shares the concerns of the Members of the European Parliament about the existence and the extent of human trafficking in Cambodian citizens. It is particularly revolting that the perpetrators of this evil crime focus their attention on the poorest of the poor in one of the least-developed countries of south-east Asia, where the high level of poverty and the limited capacity of the national agencies, as well as local corruption and collusion, make it easier for them to operate.
These conditions have facilitated the development of trafficking of migrant workers for economic exploitation, the trafficking of women - both inside Cambodia and across its borders - for prostitution, and the trafficking of children for prostitution, begging and illegal adoption.
The Commission’s cooperation activities in Cambodia are directed ultimately at reducing poverty but are also designed to reflect the EU’s commitment to human rights and democracy, including equal treatment for men and women and the protection of children. More specifically, under the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights, the Commission has already committed almost EUR 1.9 million to UNICEF and Action by Churches Together/DanChurchAid in support of two large programmes to secure legal protection for children in Cambodia, as well as funds to support the development of local human rights NGOs.
Furthermore, in the Commission’s programming document for the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights for 2005 and 2006 for Campaign 2, called 'Fostering a culture of human rights', for which Cambodia is eligible, it is planned to address the issue of trafficking in children and women. The campaign will also promote the rights of human rights defenders. It will improve the protection of, and raise awareness about, the situation of those who work, at personal risk, to advance human rights through non-violent means, taking into account the recommendations of paragraph 13 of the European Union Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders.
The Royal Government of Cambodia has recently taken a number of positive initiatives to address the problem, including the signature of memoranda of understanding with Thailand on trafficking in women and children and on the management of migrant labour between the two countries, participation in the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative against Trafficking and the establishment of a Department of Anti-Human Trafficking in the Ministry of Interior in 2002. I very much welcome these important initiatives and I have no doubt that these initiatives will also be welcomed by the Members of this Parliament.
But the practical realities and the evident difficulty of implementing these measures have been drawn to the attention of all of us by the recent events involving the NGO AFESIP, which has received support from Spain, the UK and the Commission. These events have rightly given renewed concern to all of us. The Member State embassies in Phnom Penh and the EC Delegation reacted immediately with a statement, calling for a full investigation and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
On 12 December, the government announced the establishment of an inter-Departmental Commission to inquire into the events. The Member State embassies in Phnom Penh and the EC Delegation joined other donors in a further statement to welcome this announcement and to express the hope that the conclusions of the inquiry would be credible and transparent. I can assure you that the EC Delegation to the Kingdom of Cambodia, in collaboration with the Member States' missions in the country, will follow closely the progress of the government inquiry and will continue to report on developments."@en1
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