"To be in position 1 we would have to have no manifestation of trafficking in human beings within the country, at the borders, and be totally free of this evil. Unfortunately, we haven't reached this level yet, but it is an effort that we have to undertake always to reach this point of excellence", said Francisco Queiroz in declarations to the Angolan public radio.
This week, the report on Human Trafficking from the U.S. State Department said that Angola is not meeting the minimum standards to eliminate this phenomenon, admitting, however, that the Government "has shown an overall increase in efforts compared to the previous report", but remained at level two.
Francisco Queiroz said that what allowed the US to positively evaluate Angola were the efforts undertaken by the Government, namely the pursuit and action, four times, on the traffickers compared to last year, "on the justice to the officer suspected of being an accomplice in human trafficking and another also that is being pursued by the justice".
"In addition, cooperation for the protection of borders has increased, and a lot of work has been done in this area on the southern border, which is the one that has seen the most trafficking, and there has been a lot of work done," he stressed.
The governor pointed out that, on the other hand, the government has also increased protection and assistance actions for trafficking victims, as well as in relation to the control of the number of actions.
"We are inserted in the database of SADC [Development Community of Southern African Countries], where the actions of both victims and traffickers are registered in order to better monitor them," he added.
According to the minister, Angola has a national plan to prevent and combat human trafficking, which foresees a five-year period, approved in 2019, and is underway "quite successfully."
"It is a plan that integrates various institutions, various ministerial departments and is ongoing with state funding and the results are quite positive, this, in fact, is pointed out in the report of the US State Department," he said.
The minister referred that the report makes some recommendations, pointing out that Angola should increase more human capital, to make more efficient and effective the application of the Money Laundering and Related Crimes Law, punishing traffickers with 12 to 15 year sentences.
The report puts countries into three tiers, with tier one including states that take into account the minimum standards of US law for the protection of trafficking victims, and tier three including those that do not meet any standards.
Level two, where Angola is, includes countries that do not meet the standards, but are making efforts.
The American document highlights as efforts made by Angola the conviction of several traffickers, including five public officials, with prison sentences, dedication of funds to combat human trafficking, including for the implementation of a national action plan.
However, the report notes, the Angolan government continues to fall short of minimum standards in some areas, has failed to investigate human trafficking with suspected official involvement in that crime, and sentences against traffickers are "short compared to the seriousness of the crime."
