By TesfaNews,
ERITREA has been vigorously advocating for the importance of tackling the challenges posed by the mixed migratory flows of irregular migrants, refugees and asylum seekers between countries of origin, transit and destination between Horn of Africa and Europe.
Eritrea acknowledges human trafficking constitutes a serious crime and a violation of the human rights of the victims and for that it underscores the importance of prosecuting smugglers and traffickers and dismantling their criminal networks as they are increasingly getting to represent a serious threat to peace and security of the region, in some cases in the form of terrorism.
At every regional and bilateral meetings, Eritrea continued to call for a concerted action in the prosecution of human traffickers, including those who pose as human rights activists, as they have been found largely responsible for the migration and suffering of, specifically, the Eritrean youth.
In February 2013, President Isaias Afwerki formally requests the United Nations to launch an independent and transparent investigation on the Human Trafficking of Eritreans but to no avail.
As part of a comprehensive approach to address the issue of migration and to combat the scourges of
human trafficking and smuggling, Eritrea, therefore, proposes :
1. a robust and concerted effort to identify, arrest and prosecute the human trafficking
criminals, and all those who in different guises, including human rights activism, are complicit in these crimes.
2. a determined effort for broad-based and sustained socio-economic development as well as active citizen political participation to provide increased opportunities for citizens in countries that are currently sources of migration.
3. a review of the migration policies of the countries of destination, and in Eritrea’s case, the
end of the selective and unjustified politicization of the migration issue.
4. protection of the rights of all migrants, including their right to education, skills training,
employment as well as their right to maintain their links to and visit their home country.
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