Luanda — The Angolan Home Affairs minister, Roberto Leal Ramos Monteiro "Ngongo", Tuesday in Luanda, spoke of the need for severe punishment to potential humans traffickers, in order to discourage the evil in the country.

The government official was speaking at the end of the National Conference on Humans Trafficking, organised by the Home Affairs Ministry, in partnership with the International Migration Organisation Office (OIM) and the Norwegian Government.

The official stated that the conference made an integrated and harmonised approach between traffickers punishing repressive organs, combined with victims prevention and support strategies.

He said that the fight against the evil is a priority to the Angolan Government, adding that studies have proved that the main targets are women and children who are sold for hard labour or sexual exploitation.

The Home Affairs minister added that humans trafficking is associated with various problems and realities, such as organised crime, sexual exploitation and hard labour, family and communitarian breakdowns as well as violation of human rights, which brings about high costs of economic impact, comparable with trafficking of guns and drugs.