Stakeholder consultation:

Existing legislation on trafficking in persons

Justice and Law Reforms Ministry in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), funded by the United States Department of State, organized a stakeholder consultation on the existing legislation on trafficking in persons.

The consultation was organized cognizant of the need to revisit the national legislation on trafficking in persons with a view to recognizing its potential as well as identifying challenges to implementation. Justice Ministry Secretary Suhada Gamlath, underscored the importance of timely intervention in combating trafficking in persons in order to arrest the situation before it reaches irreversible proportions. Gamlath laid out the objectives of the consultation which included; inter alia, taking stock of the existing legislation on trafficking in persons in Sri Lanka for wider consultation among stakeholders, discuss the legal provisions, its relevance and deficiencies and consistency with ratified international conventions and other relevant international instruments and identify areas for improvement with a view to amending the existing legislative framework in keeping with national policies and practices and internationally accepted norms and standards. The Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Ministry Additional Secretary Sujan Nanayakkara, pointed out the nexus between labour migration and trafficking in persons.

International Labour Organization (ILO) Director Tine Staermose highlighted the magnitude of the issue of trafficking in persons for both sexual and labour exploitation, globally and reiterated the importance of adopting a holistic approach when addressing concerns. Moreover, Staermose underlined the standards enumerated in international instruments, including the eight core ILO conventions ratified by Sri Lanka, and the Palermo protocol. International Labour Organization Chandrika Karunaratna National Project Coordinator for Trafficking in Persons, presented an overview of the current national laws on trafficking in persons spread across numerous legislative instruments, with a view to consolidating the provisions and reviewing its consistency.

A panel discussion saw representatives from the Attorney General's Department, the Police Department, Department of Immigration and Emigration and the Justice Ministry sharing observations on the challenges associated with the implementation of the law, including; identification, investigation, prosecution and conviction of offenders. The floor was then declared open for a general discussion on trafficking in persons. The consultation secured the participation of all national stakeholders including the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare, The Attorney General's Department, Police Department, Sri Lanka Coast Guard, National Child Protection Authority and Workers and Employers organizations. The Consultation culminated with the identification of a way forward by building consensus and leveraging support to eliminate all forms of trafficking in persons in Sri Lanka.