Quetta, Balochistan, 6 July 2021 - Under the European Union funded GLO.ACT - Global Action to Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT – Asia and the Middle East), UNODC held training sessions on trafficking in persons (TIP) and smuggling of migrants (SOM) for representative of the Balochistan Police, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), community elders, media, academia and civil society organisations. The sessions were held in Quetta, the provincial Headquarters of Balochistan, from 29 to 30 June 2021.
The purpose of the training sessions was to raise the awareness of relevant stakeholders to prevent and respond to human trafficking and migrant smuggling in Balochistan. The sessions allowed the participants to examine, in greater depth, areas in which they faced challenges or sought further clarification where there were uncertainties while dealing with TIP or SOM related crimes.
Shahida Gilani, National Programme Officer – HTMS, UNODC, in her welcome remarks said, "UNODC assisted in enactment of The Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2018" and The Prevention of Smuggling of Migrants Acts, 2018. Both laws are based on UN Model laws on TIP and SOM are in-line with international standards”. She further added “Balochistan, with its vast open spaces and contiguous borders with Iran and Afghanistan, has for decades hosted a huge human smuggling racket. Every year, between 30,000 to 40,000 Pakistanis endeavour to irregularly enter Europe as well as Turkey, Russia, and Middle Eastern countries through Balochistan.”
Sardar Zaheer Ahmed, Director Anti-Human Smuggling FIA said, “There is a necessity of mastering the concepts related to both these crimes, as Balochistan is not only a province of transit, but is also directly affected by human trafficking both at the national level, and regional level, as it is part of a region strongly impacted by irregular migration”. He further added “The impact of such training and education on law enforcement is especially important because it helps officers to override natural inclinations, reservations or uncertainties they encounter while performing their duty”.
The participants discussed theoretical principles when dealing with human trafficking and smuggling of migrant cases. Senior police and FIA officials vowed to ensure the implementation of the TIP and SOM laws in letter and spirit. These sessions also allowed participants to better define these two offenses while adopting a spirit of translating these laws into their daily operations. This is evident through the testimonials below.
“I attended the session to understand the concepts of trafficking in person and smuggling of migrants. The session was useful to me due to the reason that we as police thought that human trafficking is only an FIA related subject.” – Law Enforcement Participant
“This was a very informative session. As a student, we can directly engage in fight against TIP and SOM. Firstly, by understanding the issue and then by spreading the word in the community and environment in which we live. I am happy that I attended the session. “BUITMS student
On the first day, a total of 41 law enforcement officers, including 9 women participated while on the second a total 42 participants including 18 women from Balochistan University of Information Technology and Management Sciences (BUITMS), civil society organizations, media and community elders took part.
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). 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.
The project is funded by the European Union.
For more information, please contact:
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