Bhathiya Barukanda
Good morning, Hon. Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles, Mr. Harsha Ilukpitiya, Controller General of the Department of Immigration and Emigration Mr. Vivani Gunathilake, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security, Mr. N. Harsha Jayarathna, Executive Director of the Safe Foundation, distinguished government and civil society guests, students who are present today, ladies and gentlemen.
I am so pleased to join you today to mark the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons and to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Sri Lankan Department of Immigration and Emigration. I want to thank the Department of Immigration and Emigration and the SAFE Foundation for collaborating to organize today’s event to accelerate action to end trafficking.
This year’s global campaign for World Day Against Trafficking in Persons urges accelerated action to end child trafficking. The nationwide art competition “MANU DAM ROO” (Man-u-dam-roo”) for senior high school students and university students to mark World Day Against Trafficking is a great initiative to raise awareness among students and the public about the global crime of human trafficking. I look forward to handing over awards to the winners of this competition.
Trafficking is a serious issue that hurts real people. I took a trip to the hill country a few months ago and met with relatives of two people rescued from human traffickers. One man said his sister, a 27-year-old woman, left Sri Lanka in 2022 to go to Saudi Arabia where she was promised employment. However, she wound up in Syria because of a fraudulent agent. Her family members desperately tried to locate her and filed a complaint through the SAFE Foundation civil society network in Nuwara Eliya. The SAFE Foundation then referred the complaint to the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment. The Bureau contacted the Sri Lankan Embassy in Syria, which led to embassy officials visiting the house where the woman was working and talking to her employer. Based on this intervention, the woman was not forced to choose between her own safety and the economic stability of her family back home. She decided to continue working at her employer’s residence, but the Sri Lankan Embassy provided observers who could ensure she had acceptable working conditions. Her complaint file at the Bureau of Foreign Employment will remain open—and she will be the one who gets to decide when or if to seek repatriation.
I also met the father of a 15-year-old girl who fell prey to human trafficking. A local broker in her village forcefully recruited her and took her to Colombo in 2022. A complaint was lodged through a USAID partner organization at the Norwood Police Station in 2023. As a result, the Women and Children’s Bureau arrested the perpetrator for recruiting a child below 16-years old. The girl’s wages for her work were paid and she was able to joyfully return home in 2023. These stories illustrate the importance of the work you do to combat trafficking in persons, and with your continued hard work, I look forward to more such success stories in the future, with the aim of eventually eradicating human trafficking altogether.
Today, we are gathered here with the government counterparts who are leaders in the fight against human trafficking. This issue cannot be addressed alone or in silos, it requires strong, reliable partnerships. The United States is proud to work closely with the Sri Lankan government and the SAFE Foundation to address this shared priority. Through the U.S. Agency for International Development support to the SAFE Foundation, we’re collaborating with civil society organizations, self-help groups, and migrant workers’ societies in 12 districts. This five-year project “Empowering Civil Society to Combat Human Trafficking,” is countering human trafficking and promoting safe migration in communities across Sri Lanka.
The United States recognizes human trafficking is a multi-dimensional crime that requires multidimensional approaches, and we value our partnership with Sri Lanka that is establishing effective victim-centered, trauma-informed policies and strategies to end human trafficking. For example, earlier this year, we worked with Police Investigators from the Women & Children’s Bureau, the Attorney General’s Department Prosecutors, Police Training Bureau Instructors, National Child Protection Authority Investigators, and several civil society advocates to enhance their forensic interviewing skills through training on “Forensic Interviewing Skills for Child Abuse Investigations,” to help forensic interviewers when talking to survivors of human trafficking and child abuse. I want to thank DIG Renuka Jayasundara from the police here today who has been a vital partner in all this.
All of us here today know the importance of this issue, and I’m glad to see the partnership and networking among all these government institutions and civil society in the collective efforts to end trafficking and uphold the rights and dignity of survivors and create a world safe for our children. I want to highlight the importance of fostering greater collaboration to fight this grave crime and I know the SAFE Foundation has been working closely with every one of you. This includes collaboration with the Department of Immigration and Emigration to raise awareness on the dangers of human trafficking and smuggling through a booklet that is now handed over with every new passport that is issued, and collaboration with the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) and the Ministry of Labour on Labour Migration Policy, safe labor migration, victim repatriation, and welfare.
We are proud to support and advise the National Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force on its efforts to improve Sri Lanka’s ability to prevent and prosecute trafficking, and to support survivors. SAFE has conducted several capacity building and awareness programs with the members of the Task Force and will continue to support the efforts of the Task Force and its National Action Plan for 2021 -2025.
The United States recognizes the significant efforts Sri Lanka’s government is making. These include increasing convictions of labor traffickers, as well as canceling licenses and blacklisting more recruitment agencies potentially involved in facilitating trafficking. The government also provided assistance to a greater number of migrant workers at Sri Lankan diplomatic missions abroad, which is a welcome step.
However, more work remains to be done in the global fight against trafficking in persons, including increasing efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking crimes. The State Department’s annual report recommended that Sri Lanka increase efforts to investigate, prosecute, and penalize traffickers – including labor traffickers – and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers. We encourage the government of Sri Lanka to proactively identify trafficking victims, including among undocumented migrant workers abroad and women in commercial sex, and ensure victims aren’t inappropriately penalized solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked. In addition, we hope to see greater accessibility of victim services and support to victims who participate in trials against traffickers.
Thank you all for your dedication to combating human trafficking. This year’s global campaign for World Day Against Trafficking in Persons urges accelerated action to end child trafficking. Your efforts bring hope and honor the dignity of the most vulnerable. By continuing our persistent global efforts and partnership, we aim to celebrate more stories of freedom and reunification until we can close the chapter of human trafficking for good. Thank you for your sustained contributions, and for joining us all today to further our shared goals.
