New york: South Korea and 43 other countries have urged for "urgent" and "coordinated" actions to combat technology-facilitated human trafficking, emphasizing the worsening human rights and humanitarian issues worldwide.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the 44 countries issued a joint statement on the matter, which South Korean Ambassador to the U.N. Cha Ji-hoon presented during a press event at the U.N. headquarters in New York. This initiative was led by Seoul due to concerns over reports of online fraud cases in Cambodia targeting Korean citizens.

The statement highlighted that traffickers exploit conflict, economic hardship, and digital platforms to expand their networks, leading to forced labor, sexual exploitation, and other abuses. The statement noted that no country is immune from such practices, affecting all regions and societies.

The countries expressed deep concern over the rise in human trafficking linked to online scam operations and other forms of transnational organized crime. They emphasized the need for a comprehensive, multi-stakeholder response involving regional and global cooperation among governments, the private sector, and civil society to counter human trafficking.

The joint statement called for prevention, prosecution, protection, and partnership, stressing the importance of strengthening public awareness, identifying victims, empowering survivors, and ensuring access to justice and remedies to dismantle these criminal schemes.