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A
United Nations official has described the
trafficking of women and children across Asia
as "the largest slave trade in history".
The transfers are made using "even more
cruel and devious means than the original
slave trade," Unicef's Kul Gautum told
an International Symposium on Trafficking
of Children, being held in Tokyo.
He
said in Asia and the Pacific alone, more than
30 million children have been traded over
the last three decades.
A
combination of poverty, globalisation, organised
crime and discrimination against women encouraged
the trade.
The
victims are usually teenage girls who end
up working in sweat shops or brothels, he
said.
But
ending the trade in humans is virtually impossible
given the level of corruption among government
officials, Mr Gautum.
Police
protection
"In
some countries, police, who are supposed to
stop these crimes, are involved in crimes
by offering protection to criminals. Pimps
and middlemen get protection from the police."
Mr
Gautum said officials needed to be trained
and made more accountable.
Japanese
parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs
Shinako Tsuchiya urged more co-operation between
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working
in the field.
"There
are many NGOs in the nations that ship our
children, in places that are used as transfer
points... but the truth is these NGOs' efforts
lack co-ordination."
Educating
women and children who run a high risk of
being trafficked was also cited as crucial
in preventing the trade.
In
Bangladesh, Unicef is training 600,000 people
to teach their peers about child trafficking.
More
than 100 delegates attended the conference
sponsored by Unicef and the Japanese foreign
ministry.
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