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| Sunday, 26 December 2004 |
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Support from IOM to eliminate human smuggling by Don Asoka Wijewardena The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) is determined to support legal migration, encourage respective governments to set up effective training centres for migrant workers, protect the rights of migrant workers and reminding and educating both labour sending and receiving countries the responsibilities and the processes of recruitment, training and job placement of people,said Mary Sheehan, Chief of Mission IOM Sri Lanka at a workshop held on December 22 in Colombo. She pointed out that illegal migration entailed by human smuggling and trafficking in Sri Lanka had shown an upward trend in fairly recent times and added that the IOM with the assistance of international experts would continue to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking as they had caused biggest problems in South Asia. She also said that a large number of Lankan migrant workers had been leaving the country with the help of bogus job agencies to better their lives and got stranded or even lost their lives for want of security and added that some workers were forced to sexual exploitation and servitude in foreign countries. Deputy Solicitor General Vijith Malalgoda said that illegal migrants were not aware of the dangers and consequences of illegal migration as they wished to become rich overnight and added that people should understand that leaving the country without proper travel documents and passports was a punishable offence. Malalgoda also emphasised that the government was in the process of introducing new legislation to fine and prosecute people involved in illegal migration as human smuggling was not an offence in accordance with Sri Lanka's legal system but people who opted to leave the country were comitting an offence. |
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