Bogotá D.C., Colombia - 24 August 2018 - In a 32-hour race against the clock, university students, young programmers, engineers, and designers will participate in a hackathon to create a prototype mobile application or website to combat human trafficking. The hackathon entitled ' Bluehack Free Steps Against Human Trafficking' will be run by IBM and is supported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), under the framework of Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the smuggling of Migrants ( GLO.ACT), and the Free Steps Foundation. The hackathon - the first of its kind to take place in Colombia - is scheduled to take place from 31 August 1 September 2018 in Bogotá. During the hackathon participants will need to develop tech solutions while considering the questions:
Speaking at the launch event of the Bluehack Mr. Carlos Andrés Péres, GLO.ACT's National Programme Officer for Colombia congratulated the private sector, civil society and the United Nations on their willingness to cooperate, at an international level, to create the space for technology to be used to develop innovative ways to prevent human trafficking. During his speech he said, "This hackathon represents a process of social innovation to combat this crime, not only in Colombia but also in other parts of the world."
During the event, Mr. Jesús Manager of Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Social Responsibility Program Management at IBM invited attendees to participate in this type of initiatives that seeks to promote the use of technology in a conscious manner, enabling the development of tech solutions that may help curb problems such as trafficking in persons.
The winning team will be awarded a contract by UNODC to develop the winning submission into an application that can be used in the fight against human trafficking. This is in addition to receiving official recognition from the all the event organizers.
For those interested in registering to participate in the Hackathon please access all registration details here: https://www.ibm.com/events/co/es/bluehacktrata/
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Carlos Andrés Pérez
GLO.ACT National Project Officer
carlos.perez@un.org
www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act/
Email: glo.act@un.org
Twitter: @glo_act