3 January 2023, Islamabad – The FIA has a national helpline 051.111.345.786 based at its headquarters in Islamabad and is Pakistan's top national agency for investigating transnational crimes like human trafficking, migrant smuggling, and cybercrime. The public can check the status of cases and complaints they have filed with the agency as well as receive other crucial information and guidance from the helpline.
Given that the FIA and UNODC are working together to implement a "National Awareness Campaign on Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants" in 2022–2023, it is anticipated that the FIA helpline will eventually receive more calls. The goal of the ongoing campaign is to increase public awareness of the warning signs of human trafficking and smuggling as well as the preventative steps people can take to safeguard themselves and their communities from these heinous crimes. All campaign banners, posters, SMS, and radio messages will include the FIA's national helpline number so that more people are aware of how to contact the organisation as needed.
In August 2022, with UNODC's assistance, the FIA conducted a thorough Needs Assessment to evaluate the helpline's current capabilities and ability to handle a potential increase in calls. The need to strengthen the primary helpline at the HQ was discovered following a series of consultation meetings with the FIA management and a thorough review of the National Helpline at the FIA HQ and the 1991 Cyberrescue Helpline at the National Response Center for Cybercrime.
UNODC provided technical assistance in conducting the needs assessment, identifying and settling on staffing requirements, creating the Helpline Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), training staff on the SOPs, and increasing their comprehension of the complexities surrounding human trafficking and migrant smuggling in order to make the necessary changes in time for the campaign. UNODC also recommended using the helpline database already in use by the headquarters' Cyberrescue helpline line, with modifications and new features to strengthen call management and analysis.
The national helpline runs weekdays (Mondays through Fridays) from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. under the new arrangement, which went into effect on 1 December 2022. A helpline incharge and three helpline operators, both male and female employees, make up the team. Since 1 December 2022, more calls have been received, indicating that the public is becoming more confident in the FIA's 051.111.345.786 helpline as a result of the team's prompt and effective response.
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).
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 funded by the European Union.
For more information, please contact:
Ms. 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
Nation-wide awareness raising campaign in Pakistan, please like and share:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UNODCCOPAK.GloAct/
Twitter: @GLOACTPakistan
