Sri Lankan authorities however are still unaware of the extent of trafficking, but the island has been noted by international law enforcement agencies as a source country and destination for human trafficking.
The amendment changes the definition of trafficking and includes protective measures for victims of trafficking, Giuseppe Crocetti, a legal consultant for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), told journalists on Wednesday, at a workshop on migration issues.
Human trafficking is defined by the United Nations as the recruitment or transfer of persons, by force, abduction or deception, for the purpose of exploitation.
The UN definition of exploitation covers forced labour or services, slavery, or practices similar to slavery and also the removal of organs.
Trafficking came into Sri Lanka’s penal code in a 1995 amendment b