Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil - 27 August 2018 - The Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants ( GLO.ACT) organized, alongside the National Secretariat of Policies for Women of the Presidency of the Republic, a two and half day workshop on shelter homes and shelter alternatives for women in situation of Trafficking in Persons (TIP), between 19 and 21 July 2018 in Brasilia.
The objective of the meeting was to discuss the development of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for shelter homes in line with the already existing national guidelines for shelters in general, national legislation, national and international experiences in sheltering women in situations of violence, as well as discuss the alternatives to shelters for female victims of TIP.
On the first day, besides the Protocol of Attention to Women in Situation of International Trafficking in Persons of the Meeting of Women's Ministers and High Authorities of Mercosur, the workshop participants discussed shelter homes in the context of the Maria da Penha Law, aimed at reducing domestic violence, the femicide law, as well as sheltering women in situations of TIP. During the second day, participants were divided in working groups to discuss the provision of assistance, shelter homes, and alternatives to shelters. On the last day Ms. Gill Hague, Emeritus Professor of Violence against Women Studies of the University of Bristol, gave a master class on "Conceptual and Political Aspects of Shelter Homes". She is one of the founding members of the Domestic Violence Research Group set up in 1990, which has had a pioneering role in establishing violence against women (VAW) research in the United Kingdom, later becoming the Violence Against Women Research Group and the present Centre.
During the workshop the difficulties and risks of lodging victims of trafficking in persons in shelters for women victim of domestic violence were raised, especially regarding the security of other women at the shelters. Also, questions were raised concerning women whose lives are under threat and the lack of security and protection of most shelters. Even though shelters set up for victims of domestic violence are not ideal for TIP victims, the fact that Brazil has no specialized shelters for female TIP victims poses the question on how to best provide adequate shelter for TIP victims. A question that will need to be addressed soon in order to ensure victims are placed in appropriate shelters and receive the assistance they are entitled to.
The Global Action to Prevent and Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT) is a four-year (2015-2019), €11 million joint initiative by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The project is being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). GLO.ACT aims to provide assistance to governmental authorities and civil society organizations across 13 strategically selected countries: Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, South Africa, Ukraine. GLO.ACT works with the 13 countries to plan and implement strategic national counter-trafficking and counter smuggling efforts through a prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships approach. It supports the development of more effective responses to trafficking and smuggling, including providing assistance to victims of trafficking and vulnerable migrants through the strengthening of identification, referral, and direct support mechanisms.
For more information, please contact:
Ms. Fernanda Patricia Fuentes Munoz
National Project Officer
Liaison and Partnership Office in Brazil
fernanda.fuentes@unodc.org
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act/
Email: glo.act@un.org
Twitter: @glo_act