Boa Vista, Brazil, 2 June 2022 - The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Brazil and the Public Defender's Office (DPU) promoted training on Assistance to Victims of Human Trafficking in the Context of Migration, from 26-27 May, in the Auditorium of the Postgraduate Programme of Society and Border at the Federal University of Roraima, in Boa Vista. Over 50 participants from the local network of attention to victims of trafficking in Boa Vista attended the meeting.
The event was promoted as part of the Track4Tip initiative, implemented by UNODC, with the support of the Office of Monitoring and Combating Crime of the United States Department of State, and sought to strengthen the capacities and knowledge of local actors who work in the network of attention to people in vulnerable situations, including potential victims of trafficking in persons and migrants. The modules were presented by public defenders, local experts and guests from other parts of the country.
Topics such as actions to prevent the crime of human trafficking and ways to protect victims of human trafficking through the networks of the Unified Health System (SUS) and the Unified Social Assistance System (SUAS) were addressed, focusing on cross-cutting issues such as children and adolescents, gender and the indigenous population. The training methodology included group activities such as case studies.
The Federal Public Defender, Vivian Santarém addressed the problem of the invisibility of human trafficking. "It is an invisible crime, which makes its quantification difficult, since cases are often not reported and there is no integrated national data system on trafficking in persons in Brazil. What we have managed so far is to identify trends," she said.
Vivian Santarém also mentioned, based on data from the 2020 UNODC Global Report, the various dimensions that involve human trafficking, whose main victims are women.
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During the meeting, UNODC cited data from the Situational Report on Human Trafficking in Mixed Migration Flows, in particular Venezuelans, published by UNODC in 2021. UNODC noted that the research was fundamental to understand needs and demands of the various institutions at the federal and local levels and led to the first in-person training after two years of online activities. |
Visit to the shelters
Representatives of the DPU and UNODC visited migrant shelters in Boa Vista, which host a large number of migrants, especially Venezuelans. During the visits, both institutions shared with the residents of the shelters the booklet on assistance and rights of migrant victims of human trafficking, which aims to promote the public and free services offered in the country. The document has Portuguese, English and Spanish versions.
About the Track4TIP Initiative
As part of UNODC's role to support Member States in implementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and the Palermo Protocols on Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants, TRACK4TIP is a three-year initiative (2019-2022), implemented by UNODC with the support of the Office of Monitoring and Combating Crime of the United States Department of State.
The project benefits eight countries in South America and the Caribbean with national and regional actions in Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Curaçao and Aruba.
The overall objective of the project is to improve the regional criminal justice response to trafficking in persons and in the migration flows of the beneficiary countries, through a multidisciplinary and victim-centered approach, with actions at regional and national level to identify, prevent and prosecute cases.
This project is supported by the United States Department of State under Agreement No. SSJTIP19CA0027. The views expressed in it are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of State.
