Officials have called attention to the troubling prevalence of human trafficking and kidnapping in Afghanistan, but a cohesive and cooperative strategy to combat the trends remains elusive.
Deputy Minister of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled (MoLSAMD) Wasil Noor Mohmand on Wednesday called attention to the prevalence of human trafficking and kidnapping in Afghanistan and discussed the need for better law enforcement strategies.
"Human trafficking and kidnapping are regular tragedies in Afghanistan and the trends should be reined in," Deputy Ministry Mohmand said.
He was joined by the Deputy Minister of Justice, Syed Yousaf Halim, who echoed calls for a new approach to fighting the crimes that have become issues in and of themselves, apart from the threats posed by the insurgent war that has ravaged the country for 13 years.
"An effective strategy hasn't been undertaken to prevent human smuggling and crimes," Deputy Minister Halim said.
Ministry of Interior (MoI) Criminal Investigation Department head Syed Abdul Ghafar Syed Zada suggested that corruption in the legal system was undermining respect for law in Afghanistan.
"People in society see us as as weak when it comes to the law," he said. "They say that the police, attorneys and courts accept bribes and law isn't implemented."
Transparency International ranked Afghanistan's judiciary as the most corrupt in the world based on public surveys in 2013.
The Attorney General's Office acknowledged the abundance of human trafficking and kidnapping in Afghanistan, but was more positive about efforts underway to combat crime.
"In recent weeks, we have registered 55 smuggling cases and arrested 64 guilty individuals," said Syed Noorullah Sadat, a representative of the Attorney General's office.