Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – 21 February 2023 – On 7 December 2022, UNODC, under the Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT- Asia and the Middle East) organized a meeting for investigative judges responsible for handling human trafficking.
The primary objective of the meeting was to discuss the challenges encountered by Iraqi institutions when referring and investigating human trafficking cases and to propose solutions to increase the success rates in human trafficking cases.
The meeting commenced with an opening speech from the Chairman of the Shura Council, Judge Sardar Yassin Hamad Amin, who emphasized the need for collaboration among law enforcement agencies, including investigative judges and police, to combat organized crimes such as human trafficking.
This was followed by a speech from Dr Muhammad Shihab Muhammad Amin, the representative of the COM, who reiterated that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is committed to fighting organized crimes, including human trafficking and migrant smuggling. He expressed that the KRG appreciates the efforts by UNODC in assisting law enforcement authorities to counter human trafficking and migrant smuggling and is ready to provide further assistance to facilitate the work of UNODC in the region.
The one-day meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Shura Council, the representative of the Counci;l of Ministers (COM), advisors from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), and the legal department director of the MOJ. Additionally, seven judges from investigation courts in the governorates of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Dohuk and independent administrations in Soran, Rabrin, and Helbaja attended the meeting.
The meeting concluded with participants' suggestions for improving the success rates in human trafficking cases. The meeting enabled participants to strengthen their joint efforts to combat human trafficking and migrant smuggling and to increase the efficiency of investigations related to human trafficking.
The total number of participants was 12 (1 female/11 male).
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 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.
