IOM chief lauded efforts exerted by Egypt for fighting human trafficking

CAIRO, July 30 (MENA) - Director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Laurent De Boeck on Tuesday lauded efforts exerted by Egypt for fighting human trafficking.

In his speech at a ceremony held by the national coordination committee for fighting illegal migration and human trafficking, he thanked President Abdel Fattah El Sisi for efforts exerted by Egypt in this regard.

Egypt continues to score victories in the battle against human trafficking, he said, underscoring the importance of international cooperation in fighting this crime.

Head of the committee, Ambassador Naela Gabr also underlined the importance of fighting human trafficking to preserve the rights of the ordinary citizen.

She also underlined the importance of cooperation between state departments and civil society organisations for achieving this goal.

Regional Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Cristina Albertin pointed out that conflicts and wars largely contribute to the spread of this phenomenon.

She added that one third of the victims of human trafficking are women and one third are children.

There are around 25,000 victims of human trafficking who were discovered in the period 2003/2016, she added.