The Executive Director of the Alola Foundation (FA) Alzira Reis said the foundation believes it is important to keep raising awareness in youth about human trafficking because they are most at risk.
She added that human trafficking takes place mostly in Dili because many youths come to Dili to study and look for employment opportunities so it is important that they are aware about human trafficking.
“We have weekly discussions with youths at the centre and with university students so that they can increase their knowledge about human trafficking and other life experiences,” said Director Reis in Mascarenhas, Dili.
She said women in particular are at risk of exploitation because of limited employment opportunities.
“There are no jobs so the Timorese are vulnerable. For example one girl was about to be trafficked out, were it not for the quick intervention by the immigration police,” said Director Reis.
She added that Timor-Leste is both a country where people are trafficked into and out of and also there are concerns with the trafficking on women from the municipalities to the capital Dili.
Even though there aren’t exact figures on how many people have been trafficked in Timor-Leste, there are few recorded instances where the culprits were caught and have been jailed.
Meanwhile the Director of the Youth Communication Forum (FCJ) Madalena da R. Pinto Baptista urged the government to be more serious about combating human trafficking across the country.
She said in 2015, the FCJ investigated a case of child exploitation and reported the case to the relevant institutions that is the Ministry of Public Prosecutions and the Ministry of Social Solidarity, to look into the issue but nothing was done.
“We were upset because we thought the case of serious but we got no reaction from them,” she added.
Dili resident Agostinha Pinto urged relevant institutions to hold a national campaign on human trafficking in particular to rural communities so they know how to protect their children from human trafficking.
“So far there have been some awareness raising done on human trafficking by some women’s organisations but it is not very effective because it is not for everyone,” she added.
