PRESS RELEASE

UNODC and Brazil Public Defender's Office (DPU) hold training for assistance to victims of trafficking in Belém

Brasília, 4 July 2022 - The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Brazil, together with the Public Defender's Office (DPU), held the "Training on assistance to victims of trafficking in persons and rights of migrants", in Belém (PA), from 7 to 8 June. 

The initiative takes place under the UNODC project "Track4TIP: Transforming alerts into criminal justice responses to combat human trafficking related to the Venezuelan migratory situation" and seeks to provide training to public officials who work in the local assistance network. During the workshop, training modules were presented by public defenders and local trainers, as well as experts invited from other parts of the country.

The training addressed issues such as prevention and protection actions for victims of trafficking in persons by the Unified Health System (SUS) and Unified Social Assistance System (SUAS) networks, forced labor, migrant children, gender violence, racism and indigenous issues.

The northern city of Belém, which is in the preparatory phase of the drafting of a municipal policy for the migrant population, is strategic city for this event to take place in, due to the large influx of Venezuelan migrants, especially indigenous people of the Warao community. Moreover, the Pará state government has a dedicated office for the Coordination of Confrontation to Slave Labour and Trafficking in Persons (CTETP) and presides over the State Committee of Eradication of Slave Labour (COTRAE-PA). Both have an important role in preventing cases of trafficking in persons and in assisting victims. These institutions are particularly important considering the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated the challenging conditions and vulnerability of migrants, fostering an environment conducive to the action of organized criminal groups for the practice of various crimes, including trafficking in persons.

Track4TIP - As part of UNODC's role to support Member States in the implementation of 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, 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.

Service: Training on assistance to victims of human trafficking and migrants' rights

Date: 7 and 8 June 2022

Time: 8.30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Place: Hotel Sagres - Sala Amazonas - Governador José Malcher Avenue, 2927, São Brás - Belém (PA)

How to participate: confirm attendance by e-mail savia.souza@un.org

*The limit is 100 entries.

 

This press release 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 United States Department of State.

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