Pretoria, South Africa - 14 July 2017 - One of the key outcomes of the successful Trafficking in Persons (TIP) information sharing workshop that took place 19 -20 June 2017, was that a lack of practical training and capacity building were identified as one of the main challenges to the successful implementation of the Prevention and Combatting of Trafficking in Persons Act in South Africa. Furthermore, participants agreed that there was a need to develop a standardized TIP manual for criminal justice practitioners, relevant within the South African context.
In order to address these challenges, GLO.ACT with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development facilitated, on 12 July 2017, the first working session of the recently established national inter-sectoral training committee on TIP in South Africa.
During the closed working session the Chairwoman, Ms. Ooshara Sewpaul, Deputy Chief State Law Adviser, Department of Justice and Constitutional Development said that: "I believe that having a manual will help departments and relevant institutions, including civil society organizations, to be aware of all the other issues affecting TIP victims. These are issues that can have an overall impact on the outcomes of TIP cases and on the reintegration process for victims."
The objectives and key deliverables of the committee are:
Representatives from the following departments and organization are committee members: the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, the South African Police Services, the National Department of Health, the Justice College, the Department of Social Development, the Department of Home Affairs, the National Prosecuting Authority, the National Freedom Network, UNODC and civil society representatives.
For further information, please contact:
www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act/
Email: glo.act@un.org
Twitter: @glo_act