The government is in the process of publishing a comprehensive action plan to ensure that the fight against human trafficking, as well as victim identification and support, are undertaken and delivered more efficiently and effectively, the Home Affairs Ministry said.
In a statement, it referred to the recently published "Trafficking In Persons Report" by the US State Department which rated Malta at Tier 2 - Watch list.
The rating, as defined in the report, means that according to the US authorities the Maltese authorities can do more to combat human trafficking. It also acknowledges that action in this regard is already being taken.
The ministry said that although the government does not consider there is widespread human trafficking in Malta, its approach to this problem has not been complacent.
"Government strongly believes that even a few cases of human trafficking cannot be tolerated and is acting to identify these and prosecute as necessary."
Earlier this year, the Prime Minister appointed Malta's first anti-human trafficking coordinator, as well as a high-level monitoring committee which includes the major stakeholders in the sector.
The coordinator ensures that human trafficking is addressed in a strategically effective manner, while the monitoring committee, among its other tasks, monitors the performance of individual stakeholders.
A training programme for stakeholders in the sectors, including two NGOs, was held earlier this month. This training programme was co-financed by the United States G-TIP Office and delivered by two experts from the International Office of Migration (Washington).
The training addressed prosecution of offenders, victim identification and victim protection. The officers from all participating entities, including the police, Appogg, the Employment and Training Corporation, the Jesuit Refugee Service and Caritas, showed themselves responsive to the training which addressed these major challenges.
The Human Trafficking Action Plan for Malta will provide for action in all spheres of the fight against human trafficking, such as the prevention of human trafficking, prosecution of offenders and protection of victims, further to providing for the further allocation of resources to counter this crime.
Awareness-raising initiatives for groups potentially vulnerable to human trafficking are expected to feature prominently among the several actions foreseen by the plan.
"Government considers that, whereas cases of human trafficking may not be widespread, certain social groups may be more exposed to exploitation than others.
"This may include in particular certain categories of asylum seekers who would not be aware of the phenomenon of human trafficking or the different ways in which it manifests itself."
To reach and, where necessary, assist such vulnerable persons, Caritas and the Jesuit Refugee Service have teamed up with the government in the fight against this phenomenon.
One of the main challenges in the fight against human trafficking, be it in Malta or elsewhere, remained the identification of victims of this crime, the ministry said.
The identification of cases, therefore, required ongoing liaison and cooperation between different authorities.
The government's action aims to ensure that efforts in this regard are properly coordinated and given due priority by the relevant stakeholders.