Since its ratification of the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air in 2005, the Kingdom of Cambodia has made tremendous progress to tackle the issue of smuggling of migrants. The Ministry of Justice is now about to finalize the draft law on the suppression of smuggling of migrants. The consultation workshop held in the Ministry of Justice on 21 November 2013 in Phnom Penh, gathered 20 officials from the Ministry of Justice, Representative of the Embassy of Canada and of international organizations.
Ms. Riikka Puttonen, UNODC legal expert on the Smuggling of Migrants Protocol brought sharp insights to the Cambodian draft. While the draft already provides a solid legal basis, some gaps remain to be fully compatible with the Smuggling of Migrants Protocol and the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
Her comments were welcomed by H.E. Hi Sophear, Secretary of State of Ministry of Justice in charge of Legislation Affairs, who during the workshop emphasized the importance of gathering more comprehensive and reliable data on the issue. Cambodia has been one of the first countries to become member of the Voluntarily Reporting System on Migrant Smuggling and Related Conducts (VRS-MSRC), a regional database that collect, share and facilitate analysis of the trend smuggling of migrants.