Lima, March 30, 2021- On the occasion of the legislative reform of the Peruvian State sanctioned yesterday by the President of the Republic, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reaffirms its commitment to all Peruvian institutions to strengthen the fight against this crime, promote access to justice and ensure redress and assistance to victims of this crime, especially in a regional context of increased risks due to mixed migratory flows and the crises caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Law No. 31146, among other aspects, establishes effective means for the compensation of victims of trafficking in persons, which is in line with the recommendation made by UNODC in the Situation Report on the crime of trafficking in persons in the context of mixed migratory flows in Peru, presented last November as part of the TRACK4TIP initiative, with the support of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, JTIP Office, of the U.S. Department of State.
In fact, as established in the recent normative development, UNODC recommended the creation of a compensation fund with seized assets in order to cover civil reparations for victims of trafficking in persons, when the convicted person cannot cover it. This is to allow the reparation and compensation for the victim to be provided in a timely manner, and when the victims are in a state of urgent need, due to various factors.
According to Antonino De Leo, UNODC representative in Peru and Ecuador, "comprehensive assistance to victims is crucial for their recovery and reintegration after having suffered all that their exploitation implies in the serious crime of human trafficking".
Among other recommendations presented by the Office in 2020 are the strengthening of authorities through training and the creation of specialized groups and investigation elites, and the articulated work through operational response mechanisms.
"The comprehensive approach in the fight against human trafficking is one of the cornerstones of UNODC's support. We will continue to support the Peruvian State to continue strengthening responses to this crime and with a victim-centered approach" concluded Mr. De Leo.
About Us
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) provides technical assistance to Member States to strengthen their capacities to combat transnational organized crime, including trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, in its role as Technical Secretariat of the Conventions and Protocols on this matter.
TRACK4TIP is a three-year initiative (2019-2022), implemented by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with the support of the United States Department of State TIP Office..
The project benefits eight countries in South America and the Caribbean with national and regional actions in Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Curaçao, and Aruba.
The general objective of the project is to improve the regional criminal justice response to human trafficking in the migratory flows of the beneficiary countries through a multidisciplinary and victim-centered approach, with actions at the regional and national levels to identify victims, increase prosecutions, and prevent the crime.
"This press release was made possible through support provided by the United States Department of State, under the terms of Award No. SSJTIP19CA0027. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Department of State."
