Bogotá, Colombia - 1 June 2018 - Under the framework of the Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT) and in collaboration with the Attorney General Office, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and INTERPOL, UNODC initiated on 9 May 2018 a series of technical meetings to develop a specialized operational tool that will support the identification, investigation and prosecution of trafficking in persons (TIP) cases.
The participating agencies and government bodies decided that there was a need to develop this specialized tool based on trainings and feedback sessions that were held in eight of Colombia's territories in 2017. These initial sessions enabled participants to express what they perceived as the main obstacles to the successful identification and investigation of TIP cases. The need for a more specialized tool that will make identification, investigations and prosecutions more successful was one of the main takeaways of these initial sessions.
Addressing the participants during the launch of these technical meetings, Mr. Carlos Andrés Pérez, GLO.ACT National Project Officer at UNODC Colombia, said, "The crime of trafficking in persons has particular aspects that require a specialized response from the authorities responsible for the identification, investigation and prosecution of these cases. We have therefore agreed with the prosecutor and the police to develop, in a participatory and collaborative fashion, a tool that takes into account institutional needs and capacities to address this crime."
During the meeting, participants were busy discussing the specific objectives of the tool and the best way to achieve better results in criminal investigation of trafficking in persons cases. Upon conclusion of the meeting the overall structure of the tool had been put in place.
The next meeting is scheduled for the end of May 2018 and in early June a workshop will be convened with national authorities and NGOs to enable them to provide feedback on the draft version of the tool. The technical team expects the tool to be ready in July 2018.
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. 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:
Mr. Carlos Andrés Pérez
GLO.ACT National Project Officer
carlos.perez@un.org
www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act/
Twitter: @glo_act