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WASHINGTON : The US State Department said Wednesday it was issuing guidelines to officials and volunteers in tsunami-hit Asia to prevent human trafficking which has become a serious problem.
The move came amid reports that thousands of vulnerable children orphaned by the disaster face the risk of being picked up by gangs of unscrupulous human traffickers.
"I think that there are sufficient, credible reports for us to conclude that this is a real danger and that decisive action must be taken now to prevent abuse," State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters.
He said the department was "offering guidelines to officials and volunteers in the region designed to minimize the risk of human trafficking in and around camps where displaced and homeless are gathering."
The guidelines include registering people who come to camps and ensuring security during their stays and ensuring proper security for the residents of the camp, especially women and children, he said.
In addition, they call for increasing the general awareness of camp workers about the potential and dangers of human trafficking and making them aware that current conditions make trafficking a particular concern.
Ereli said the State Department has also sent out an alert to non-governmental partners in tsunami-ravaged South and Southeast Asia of the potential for human trafficking and asking them to spread the word among relief workers in the region.
UNICEF's East Asia director Anupama Rao Singh said Wednesday in the Thai capital, where the UN's regional relief efforts were being coordinated, that the agency was aware of reports children had been trafficked out of Indonesia's Aceh province, hardest hit by the disaster in the country.
She said that joint efforts with regional governments and aid agencies to trace, register and reunify separated children were under way, but needed to be stepped up.
Authorities in Indonesia had ordered a short-term ban on the movement of children out of Aceh and the country to prevent human traffickers exploiting the situation.
Ereli said the United States was appalled and horrified by reports that children orphaned by the disaster were vulnerable to exploitation by criminal elements who seek to profit from their misery.
"I would note and commend actions taken by governments in the tsunami-affected countries to alert the public about the danger of human trafficking, and to work with police and community officials to detect and deter trafficking cases and to protect the victims," he said.
"In particular, we are thankful to the government of Indonesia for moving swiftly to halt international adoptions in the face of potential abuse."
The State Department is coordinating with US government-funded NGOs in the region to assist in the return and repatriation of children.
"We are also engaging organizations with expertise in family reunification," he said. - AFP
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