Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 24, 2019 (SKNIS): Several participants representing government departments and civil society organizations are currently attending a two-day workshop to build capacity in combating human trafficking within our jurisdiction.
The workshop, which is organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), will run from April 24-25.
Samuel Berridge, Senior Foreign Service Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Aviation, said that the workshop is timely and important.
“This is a very special and important event for us as it is meant to build capacity of our human resources, the civil service and the private sector in combating the scourge of human trafficking,” said Mr. Berridge.
Lori Mann, International Consultant of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) – European Union (EU) Migration Action /IOM Expert, said that the training programme was developed after two assessment sessions were conducted by IOM.
She noted a number of topics would be covered to bring awareness to the issue of human trafficking.
“We are going to talk about victims’ rights. In human trafficking, we take a victim-centered approach in the investigations, prosecutions and the systems and services usually provided to victims. And so, we are going to talk about victims’ rights and how those should be protected through the different stages of the work in human trafficking” said the migration expert. “There would also be a session for frontline actors on how to identify victims of trafficking and the indicators that indicate victims of trafficking.”
The migration expert said that from the assessments previously carried out in St. Kitts and Nevis there were no reported cases of trafficking. She noted however, that that could have been an issue of persons not being properly trained to identify such victims.
She added that they will also engage in discussions on the national law and its relationship with the Palermo Protocol in combating human trafficking especially of women and children.
According to www.unodc.org, the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 55/25. It entered into force on December 25, 2003. It is the first global legally binding instrument with an agreed definition on trafficking in persons. The intention behind this definition is to facilitate convergence in national approaches with regard to the establishment of domestic criminal offences that would support efficient international cooperation in investigating and prosecuting trafficking in person’s cases. An additional objective of the Protocol is to protect and assist the victims of trafficking in persons with full respect for their human rights.
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