ISLAMABAD: The Aust­ra­lian government and the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) have joined hands to help Pakistan control human trafficking and migrant smuggling.

Australia will provide financial support of $550,000 to the UNODC to implement a one-year project under the UN country programme for Pakistan. The UNODC will implement the project in collaboration with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan Margaret Adamson and UNODC Country Representative Cesar Guedes signed the project agreement here on Friday.

Ms Adamson said that the Australian government would work with the Pakistani government through the UNODC to strengthen border control and combat transnational crime, including human trafficking.

These were issues of glo­bal concern requiring a stro­­ng, coordinated response, she said, adding that the project demonstrated the commitment of all three partners to addressing the scour­­ge of transnational crime.

UNODC Representative Cesar Guedes highlighted the importance of building the capacity of law-enforcement agencies in Pakistan to detect effectively and disrupt trafficking and smuggling networks that are financially benefitting criminal syndicates and causing untold suffering.

The UNODC official said that the presence of a senior officer of the FIA at the agreement signing ceremony signalled the government’s commitment to overcome the challenges posed by irregular migration.

The UNODC has drafted model laws against human trafficking and migrant smuggling and wants Pakistan to consider these laws to criminalise internal trafficking.

According to a research commissioned by the UNODC with the support of the Australian government, currently there are no domestic laws specific to internal trafficking and the Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking Ordinance, 2002, only addresses external trafficking.

The study recommended increased international cooperation for increased cross-border collaboration between relevant Pakistani law-enforcing agencies and the governments of major identified destination countries.

The study notes that national trends on trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants in Pakistan have displayed an overall increase between 2007 and 2013.

The number of deportees was the highest in 2013 with 66,427 individual cases and the lowest in 2010 with 46,032 cases.

The five countries exhibiting the highest amount of deportation statistics for Pakistanis are Iran, Turkey, Greece, Oman and Spain.

The UAE, Greece and Spain have been observed to be the most popular destination countries, according to the FIA, whereas Iran, Tur­key and Oman serve as transit countries on these routes.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2016