Algiers, Algeria – 1 June 2022
Whether accompanied by a parent or not, any instance when a child is pushed into acts of begging, it is a gross violation of their human rights, dignity, and safety. According to the UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (2020), across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, 30 percent of trafficking in persons’ (TIP) victims detected were for the purposes of sexual exploitation, 30 percent for forced labour and a staggering 29 percent for exploitative begging.
In response to such crimes, UNODC, the Algerian National Committee to Prevent and Combat Trafficking in Persons, and the United Kingdom organized a “National workshop on the investigation, prosecution and international cooperation in criminal matters on cases of sexual exploitation and child begging as forms of trafficking in persons” for 45 participants in Algiers, Algeria. This activity concluded a 12-months project implemented by UNODC and the National TiP Committee of Algeria, with a funding from the UK Embassy in Algeria.
“It is of vital importance that both these crimes are prevented by putting efficient coordination intro practice,” spoke Mr. Abdelghani Merabet, President of the National Committee to Prevent and Fight TIP at the opening of the workshop.
The workshop brought together the relevant national institutions mandated to combat this crime including the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Solidarity, Family and Women, the National Body for the Protection and Promotion of Childhood, the Directorate General for National Security and the National Gendarmerie.
The event’s sessions covered a range of topics to best address child begging, such as how to best protect and assist the child while dismantling the criminal networks or identifying individuals who are behind this act through the application of international standards and existing national mechanisms. This involved examining relevant case studies from experiences in the MENA region and Algeria.
Speakers and experts provided practical insights on national and international legal frameworks on sexual exploitation as well as how to best provide referral during the judicial process to a victim who may be a minor and has been sexually exploited or is vulnerable to sexual exploitation.
To bring all the information and learning together in a practical format, participants were split into groups to work on two trial simulation cases. This helped the attendees to reflect on lessons learned and how to apply the learning from the workshop in their daily work.
