Government proposals on combating trafficking adopted in Parliament
The Proposed Laws to Combat Drug Trafficking and Prevent and Fight Against Human Trafficking were unanimously accepted in their general terms in the Parliamentary sessions of the 26th and 27th of September.
With the approval of the Law to Combat Drug Trafficking, in its generality, another step has been taken towards the fulfilment of the Government's Programme in the area of Justice. Regarding citizens’ security, the Government elected as one of its fundamental objectives in combating crime the prevention and prosecution of crimes associated with drugs.
Although Timor-Leste is not experiencing the challenging environment found in many other countries, it is necessary to adopt measures and educational and preventive policies, in particular for the younger population.
The Law to Prevent and Fight Against Human Trafficking, also adopted in its generality, treats the fight against this type of crime in an integrated way, centred on issues of security, justice, external relations, cooperation and social solidarity. In addition to measures aimed at preventing and combating human trafficking, there are forms of protection and assistance to the victims. This is an update to the standards already contained in the Penal Code of Timor-Leste, to conform the national legislation to the international obligations assumed by the State.
In this regard, the follow-up meeting of the Working Committee on Human Trafficking for the Conference of Ministers of Justice of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CMJPLOP in Portuguese) will take place in Dili, on the 29th of September. The meeting will assess the level of compliance Timor-Leste has achieved with the action plan annexed to the Lisbon Declaration on the Establishment of Common Prevention and Combating the Trafficking in Human Beings Measures, adopted in May 2013 by CMJPLOP.
The following day, September 30th, an International Seminar on the prevention of human trafficking will take place in Dili, organized in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the main intergovernmental organization dedicated to the support of people forced to move due to situations they do not control including armed conflict, famine, natural disasters, kidnapping and human trafficking.
