Islamabad, Pakistan 14 April 2020 - UNODC, under the Global Action to Prevent and Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT – Asia and the Middle East) conducted a five day training of trainers (ToT) workshop on data collection, management, research and analytical skills for law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in Islamabad from 9 to 13 March, 2020. Since the beginning of 2020, UNODC trained total 70 police and Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) representatives over the course of three training workshops held in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. Out of these 70 participants, 19 male and 4 female officers were selected to be trained as master trainers in this ToT workshop. The main objective of the training was to ensure the sustainability of the work undertaken by training master trainers who will now continue to train their peers in data collection, management, research and analytical skills with regards to Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and the Smuggling of Migrants (SOM).
One of the objectives of the training was to reinforce the importance of disaggregation of TIP and SOM data, its adequate collection and the need to understand the differences between TIP and SOM. The participants were also educated about the purpose of ToT, training cycles, training design and equipped with appropriate teaching methods and techniques, including communication and presentation skills.
TIP and SOM is a developing area in terms of training in Pakistan because reforms in law and policies regarding the crimes are on-going. Therefore, training techniques and methods need to be updated, evolved and improved at an equal pace in order to be effective. The ToT helped participants understand the techniques needed to conduct specialised training and expanded their knowledge on the type of data that should be collected, its usefulness, the need for gender-segregated data and characteristics of good data were also explained. Furthermore, the ToT trainers also outlined recent trends in TIP and SOM to help participants understand the persistent and emerging patterns of these crimes. When asked about the training, one participant said, “The ToT was very beneficial for me as it helped to refresh the methods of conducting a training and added to my knowledge on TIP and SOM”. Another participant explained that, “It is very important to conduct ToT more frequently as they help us stay up-to-date with the emerging techniques.”
Pre and post workshop tests were also conducted to assess existing knowledge and the progress made by the participants.
The Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants – Asia and the Middle East (GLO.ACT-Asia and the Middle East) is a four-year (2018-2022), €12 million joint initiative by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in up to five countries: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Afghanistan), Islamic Republic of Iran (I.R. of Iran), Republic of Iraq (Iraq), Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Pakistan). The project builds on a global community of practice set in motion in GLO.ACT 2015-2019 and assists governmental authorities and civil society organizations in targeted, innovative and demand-driven interventions: sustaining effective strategy and policy development, legislative review and harmonization, capability development, and regional and trans-regional cooperation. The project also provides direct assistance to victims of human trafficking and vulnerable migrants through the strengthening of identification, referral, and protection mechanisms.
The project is funded by the European Union.
For more information, please contact:
Ms. Shahida Gillani, National Project Officer
Email: Shahida.gillani@un.org
For more information, please visit:
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act2/index.html
Email: glo.act@un.org
Twitter: @glo_act