Executive Director of Alola Foundation (FA) Alzira Reis says draft legislation against human trafficking is still pending while the Ministry of Justice analyzes the the law.
She said the draft legislation – alongside the penal code which already serves to control human trafficking – was important to authorize the relevant institutions assist victims.
“We have analyzed this draft and we submitted it to the Ministry of Justice to take into account,” Director Reis said in Mascarenhas, Dili.
She said FA had tried different ways to enhance the community’s awareness of human trafficking, in particular ways to recruit people to protect their families and community.
According to statistics accessed by FA, there have been 50 cases of human trafficking related to entry to Timor-Leste.
Director Reis said some of these incidents had already been dealt with in court while suspects of other cases were currently held in Becora Prison awaiting trial.
Meanwhile, MP Josefa Alvares Soares said Timor-Leste’s penal code could deal with human trafficking offences, even if Timor-Leste lacked specific legislation for human trafficking.
“We have the penal code law; it criminalizes this and when a person is found guilty of the crime automatically he should respond in the court and be sentenced in the court,” said MP Soares.
She said Timorese nationals made up a small percentage of those being exploited but illegal entry to the country is high every year.
MP Soares said she was concerned about possible exploitation of children in Timor-Leste through movement from the districts to the city. She said while it while the rate of exploitation was unknown, it was believed to be high.
