Algiers, Algeria – 1 June 2022
Trafficking in persons is a global organized crime that affects the some of the most vulnerable individuals and no country is immune from it. The Algerian National Committee to Prevent and Combat Trafficking in Persons, UNODC, and the United States of America (USA) launched a new project to support Algeria’s response to trafficking in persons (TIP).
The project launch was attended by authorities from all the relevant Government bodies who would be involved in
implementation such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Labour, and the Ministry of Solidarity, Family and Women, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, National Body for the Protection and Promotion of Childhood, the National Gendarmerie and the National Police.
Ms. Cristina Albertin, UNODC Regional Representative for the Middle East and North Africa, welcomed the launch and noted that "It is an honor to formally launch together a new project with the National Committee and the USA that seeks to support Algeria’s response to combat TIP, this equals a great sense of trust and partnership by the Government."
Mr. Abdelghani Merabet, President of the National Committee to Prevent and Fight TIP noted during the event that “the cornerstone of every ambitious national policy on countering trafficking in persons is that it should be focused on the victims of this crime.”
The three-year project aims to support Algeria's response to combat trafficking in persons by enhancing protection and assistance services for detected victims through a National Referral Mechanism (NRM), expanding the institutional capacities in investigation, prosecution, and adjudication and enhancing the relevant legal framework, and by raising awareness and providing educational information on TIP and its risk factors to first responders, medical professionals, and teachers as well as to the general public.
