United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Liaison and Partnership Office (LPO) in Brazil

GLO.ACT supports technical meeting on human trafficking by bringing together state focal points from key networks

Brasilia, 4 May 2018 - The Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants                ( GLO.ACT) organized, alongside the National Secretariat of Policies for Women of the Presidency of the Republic and in collaboration with the National Secretariat of Justice of the Ministry of Justice, a technical meeting to bring together state focal points from the national anti-trafficking in persons network and the anti-gender based violence network from 2 to 3 May 2018.

The objective of the meeting was to discuss the Secretariat's proposal for the implementation of the Protocol of Attention to Women in Situation of International Trafficking in Persons of the Meeting of Women's Ministers and High Authorities of Mercosur within the scope of states and municipalities in Brazil.  The meeting was not only held to strengthen capacity but also to help improve technical cooperation between the national anti-trafficking in persons network and the anti-gender based violence network.

In terms of context, the regular meeting of the Women's Ministers and High Authorities of Mercosur has been addressing trafficking of women in the region for close to a decade. In fact, the ministry has carried out several studies and developed numerous instruments to prevent, combat and assist women in situations of trafficking. One such instrument is the Mechanism of Articulation for the Attention to Women in Situation of International Trafficking in Persons that aims to support state parties in providing "mutual assistance and ample cooperation, to assist women in trafficking situations in MERCOSUR, ensuring a gender approach and a regional perspective in the application of the human rights legislation already ratified." The Protocol, on the other hand, seeks to operationalize Mercosur's network of assistance to women in situation of trafficking in persons (TIP) through the sharing of information and collaboration among the four-member countries: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

During the meeting, Ms. Tais Cerqueira, the General Coordinator for Access to Justice and the Strengthening of the Women's Assistance Network of the National Secretariat of Policies for Women, emphasized the importance of developing public policies against TIP. However, she also explained that socioeconomic differences among states, scarcity of human and financial resources pose real challenges to developing a 'flow of victims assistance services' within a state. In fact, the current national context creates overall challenges to the institutionalization of public policies and the implementation of the Protocol, considering that institutions, which provide direct assistance to victims of trafficking, have been scaled down. 

When it was her turn to speak, Chief Police Officer, Ms. Janaína Gadelha conveyed the importance of bringing the networks together to further enhance actions against TIP and she mentioned the significance of monitoring referenced cases within the network. The importance of technical cooperation with the network of social assistance and health was also pointed out. 

When it was her turn, Ms. Rafaela Seixas Fontes, a member of the Consular Assistance Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explained how the consular posts are focal points for reporting and supporting victim of TIP overseas. 

During the meeting, representatives of both networks discussed limitations and possibilities of coordinating their work with other institutions. Participants spoke about the difficulty of identifying and registering TIP cases, the need for better coordination and communication among the institutions belonging to the network and the need for better information sharing. In addition, it was pointed that that the diversity of the victims had to be taken into account, including transgender and ethnic minorities. Participants also agreed that the training for those who provide protection to #TIP victims needs to include a gender perspective. At the end of the meeting the development of a national protocol, along the lines of the Protocol of Attention to Women in Situation of International Trafficking in Persons of the Meeting of Ministers and High Authorities of Mercosur, was also proposed.

The Global Action to Prevent and Address Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT) is a four-year (2015-2019), €11 million joint initiative by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The project is being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). GLO.ACT aims to provide assistance to governmental authorities and civil society organizations across 13 strategically selected countries: Belarus, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Pakistan, South Africa, Ukraine.  GLO.ACT works with the 13 countries to plan and implement strategic national counter-trafficking and counter smuggling efforts through a prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships approach. It supports the development of more effective responses to trafficking and smuggling, including providing assistance to victims of trafficking and vulnerable migrants through the strengthening of identification, referral, and direct support mechanisms.

For more information, please contact:

Ms. Fernanda Patricia Fuentes Munoz

National Project Officer

Liaison and Partnership Office in Brazil

fernanda.fuentes@unodc.org

Fernanda Fuentes, Oficial de Programa da UNODC Brasil

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