United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Belém - Pará, 13 December 2023 - The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Brazil trained Federal Police officers on issues related to human trafficking and slave labour during the II International Congress on Human Rights of the Federal Police (PF), held in Belém, Pará, from 12 to 14 December.

Organized by the Brazilian Federal Police, with the support of UNODC Brazil and other partners, the event brought together around 140 Federal Police officers and guests for lectures, training and group activities on combating slave labour, identifying and providing humane care to victims of human trafficking, migrant smuggling and human rights in the police force, among other topics.

At the opening table, UNODC Brazil, through the Tapajós Project, took a prominent position at the table alongside esteemed authorities, such as the director of Investigation and Combating Organized Crime and Corruption (DICOR/PF), Ricardo Saadi; the general coordinator of Repression of Crimes against Human Rights (CGDH/PF), Daniel Daher; and the regional superintendent of the Brazilian Federal Police in Pará, José Roberto Peres. On the occasion, UNODC Brazil received a tribute from the Federal Police in thanks for its support in organizing the congress. 

During the event, UNODC Brazil conducted three training sessions for federal police officers on the following topics: national and international regulatory framework on human trafficking and migration; humanized assistance, qualified listening and non-revictimization of victims of human trafficking; and, within the scope of the Tapajós Project, identification of victims and prevention of slave labor in gold mines. At the end, the team carried out a group activity based on the proposed discussions.

UNODC Brazil supported the organization of the congress and carried out the training for federal police officers through the Tapajós - Prevalence Project to Reduce Forced Labour in the Gold Mining Sector in the State of Pará, Brazil - and Track4TiP - Turning Alerts into Criminal Justice Responses to Combat Trafficking in Persons in Migratory Flows projects.

In addition to UNODC Brazil, the II International Congress on Human Rights of the Federal Police had the partnership of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) of the United States Department of Homeland Security (U.S. DHS); the United States Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ); the Pan American Development Federation (PADF); the American Bar Association (ABA); and the Brazilian Federation of Banks (Febraban).

Tapajós - TAPAJÓS is a project implemented since 2021 by UNODC Brazil, as part of its mandate to assist countries in implementing the UN Human Trafficking Protocol, with funding from the United States Department of State's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (JTIP/PEMS).

The first phase of the project (2021-23) aimed to develop a better understanding of forced labor conditions in the gold mining sector in the Tapajós River basin, Pará. Three studies were produced to inform future national efforts to combat human trafficking. The second phase (2023-25) foresees the implementation of evidence-based interventions - co-produced with local partners - to reduce human trafficking and slave labor, as well as the promotion of alternative development in the region.

Track4TiP - TRACK4TIP is an initiative implemented since 2019 by UNODC, with the support of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (JTIP) of the United States Department of State. The project benefits eight countries in South America and the Caribbean - Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Curaçao and Aruba - with national and regional actions.

The general objective of Track4TiP is to improve the regional criminal justice response to human trafficking in the migratory flows of the beneficiary countries, through a multidisciplinary and victim-centred approach, and actions at regional and national level to identify, prevent and prosecute cases.

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This press release was made possible thanks to the support of the United States Department of State under Agreement No. SSJTIP19CA0027.  The views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Department of State.