Islamabad, Pakistan- 18 November 2021 Under the EU funded GLO.ACT - Global Action to Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT – Asia and the Middle East), UNODC organized on 10 November 2021 a one-day prioritization workshop in Islamabad for officials of the Police Training Institutes (PTIs) of Punjab province. The purpose of the workshop was the standardization of the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) curriculum for the Punjab police.
The workshop was part of expert services provided by the UNODC under GLO.ACT initiative to the Pakistan police to combat internal trafficking. Before the workshop, a series of consultative meetings were held with senior-level police officials. A Training Need Assessment (TNA) was also conducted to ascertain what and how the TIP training manual can be incorporated into the existing training manuals of the police. The TNA highlighted the need for police to gain knowledge on TIP to address the country's crime better.
While delivering the keynote address, Sardar Zaheer Ahmed, Director Anti-Human Smuggling (AHS) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said, "Trafficking in Persons is a heinous crime committed against human beings, where individuals are deprived of their basic human rights. Being a source, destination and transit country for men, women, and children, specifically forced labour and sexual exploitation, Pakistan is one of those countries where TIP and SOM situation is complex. Organized groups use the complexity and exploit the vulnerability of people for generating profits. With the enactment of new laws, the provincial police have been mandated to investigate internal trafficking. Therefore, the police must have the knowledge, resources and the capacity to deal with such offences."
Emphasizing the importance of the workshop, Abdul Rauf Shiekh, Inspector, Police College – Sihala said, “The series of consultative meetings with our institutes, the TNA exercise conducted with police and this specific session is of great value as these efforts will contribute to the foundation building of the police.”
The officers of police training institutes provided expert opinions and shared comprehensive feedback. The participants recommended that the TIP manual should be further simplified for the police. It should provide holistic knowledge on the subject but be applicable and user-friendly at the same time. Participants also flagged the need to involve the judiciary and proposed the establishment of a TIP unit within the police. The participants also suggested that data collection, management, sharing, and reporting is also an essential aspect that helps prevent crime. Therefore, a module on the same should also be added to the manual.
The day-long workshop had three sessions (i) Opening, orientation, and introduction (ii) previous efforts and presentation of the findings of the TNA exercise, and lastly, (iii) proposed outline for the training manual. Throughout the day, the participants were engaged in discussions and were encouraged to share their inputs. After the final session, a round-table discussion was held where the recommendations were collected and presented by the workshop facilitators.
20 officers (8 female/12 male) of the police training institutes i.e., Sihala, Rawalpindi, Multan, Lahore, and Sargodha attended the workshop
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 Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Afghanistan), Islamic Republic of Iran (I.R. of Iran), Republic of Iraq (Iraq), Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Pakistan). GLO.ACT-Bangladesh is a parallel initiative also financed by the EU and implemented with IOM.
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 fully committed to mainstreaming Human Rights and Gender Equality considerations across all of its activities.
This project is funded by the European Union
For more information, please contact:
Shahida Gillani, National Project Officer
Email: Shahida.gillani@un.org
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https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act2/index.html
Email: glo.act@un.org
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