Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Human trafficking awareness workshops in Trinidad and Tobago



The Government of Trinidad and Tobago is working with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to increase awareness of human trafficking, as it becomes more prevalent locally and regionally.

Amy Mahoney, project coordinator of the Counter Trafficking Unit of the IOM, spoke recently of the training workshops the organisation had already conducted and planned to continue conducting on human trafficking.

She said various groups, including immigration officers and non-governmental organisations, had already been sensitised to the issues as they relate to trafficking and how to deal with information received on trafficked people.

Mahoney explained the difference between human smuggling and human trafficking.

"Trafficking in persons includes three inter-dependent elements: the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons by means of threats, force, coercion, abduction, fraud or deception for the purpose of exploitation through the use or sale of the victim to benefit the trafficker."

Whereas with human smuggling, there is no deception as to what the person is getting into. They pay the smuggler for his service and there and there is no exploitation of the person for the gain of the smuggler.

"You need to be very careful in your reporting of human trafficking because if the last element of exploitation is not present, it cannot be considered or classified as trafficking."

Media representatives were advised that people who are exploited by traffickers are not criminals, but rather victims of a crime.

Mahoney said the IOM was at present working with the Government to formulate legislation on human trafficking, as well as taking steps toward the development of a coalition between the Government, local NGOs and itself to deal with trafficking in the country.
This is an interesting development in the partnership between the IOM and the government of the country. According to the section on Trinidad and Tobago in the 2007 Human Rights Report of the U.S. State Department:

The government had not designated a specific agency to combat trafficking in persons, and it sponsored no public awareness campaigns to address this issue during the year. The government continued to cooperate with the International Organization for Migration, which began a Strengthening Technical Capacity (STC) project. The STC's goal was to bolster capabilities of the Immigration Division and other law enforcement agencies. Domestic NGOs were available to provide care and protection to trafficking victims.

1 comment:

  1. THE GOVERNMENT IS DOING NOTHING ABOUT THE CRIME SITUATION, AN IT IS GETTING WORST SO HOW CAN THEY STOP HUMAN TRAFFICKING IF THEY CAN'T CURB CRIME IN THE NATION????/

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