World Day Against Trafficking in Persons - 30 July

The message issued by the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Chairman for National Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, Sri Lanka, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd) on the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons - 30 July 2026.

Today, Sri Lanka joins the global community in observing the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

This day reminds us that human trafficking is not a distant crime. It can occur across borders, within our communities, through workplaces, online platforms, and even behind what appear to be legitimate opportunities.

This year’s theme, “Trapped Behind the Scam,” highlights an alarming global trend. Organized criminal networks are deceiving and trafficking people, subjecting them to threats, violence, and exploitation, and forcing them to operate online scams and financial fraud.

Behind many of these scams, there may also be a victim.

A person who appears to be committing a crime may, in reality, be acting under coercion. Hidden behind a computer screen may be someone who has been deprived of freedom, threatened, abused, and forced to deceive others for the benefit of criminal networks.

This evolving form of trafficking demands an equally determined response.

In Sri Lanka, the National Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force remains committed to preventing trafficking, identifying and protecting victims, strengthening investigations and prosecutions, and supporting the sustainable reintegration of survivors. However, combating trafficking is not the responsibility of the Government alone. It requires the commitment and cooperation of all sectors of the society.

On this World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, let us stand together to protect human dignity, support survivors, and strengthen our collective resolve to dismantle the criminal networks that profit from human exploitation.

Together, we can build a future where no person is deceived, controlled, trafficked, or exploited.